December 18, 2004
Early
I am beginning to like the morning.
When I was home for Thanksgiving, I found myself going to bed by 10:30pm and waking around 6:00am. This is a new thing for me. I used to only see the dawn before going to bed.
Anybody who has known me for a while knows that I am a person of the night. I love the quiet muted mystery of the late hours -- especially in a city. When I was young, I remember staying up very late reading books. In high school, I would take long winding drives in the Hollywood hills. In college, I took to wandering my college city's crumbling waterfront late late late. And in my adult life, I have worked, celebrated, and taken solitary moments under the cover of dark skies.
But morning is something else. And I mean early morning. As the sun rises. It is clean. It is fresh. It is vital. I never disliked mornings, but I didn't get it. I just kept missing them.
I wonder if I am at a changing point in my life. It makes sense in some ways. I am getting a little older. I am not going out as much or as late. I also am spending a lot of time with someone who makes waking up in the morning something to look forward to.
Will Lex become a morning person? Will he take to pre-midnight yawns? What will the local bartender say?
Then again I was out 'til all hours the other night for an office holiday party. So maybe I am changing...just real slowly.
Posted by alexis at December 18, 2004 11:07 AMFinally! I knew you'd come around.
Now you'll experience what I've been doing for a long time now. Even on some of our vacations together when you were young, I would rise early while everyone was sleeping and explore the city or place where we were staying. One of my fondest memories was waking up in Rome while the sun was rising and walking throught the deserted streets and going to St. Peters and watch as the priest unlocked the massive bronze doors to the basillica. I went in and was the only person there. I remember the total silence as I walked up to Michaelangelo's pieta and shared a moment alone with of the greatest sculptures of all time. For the next half hour I had this incredible structure all to my self except for several priests who were scurrying about getting ready for the thousands and thousands of people who would come later in the day.
I could go on and describe more wonderful mornings but I'll save it for a time when we can compare notes on some of your new morning experiences. Or better yet, when were all on an early morning walk together.
The sunrise welcomes you.
Dad
Posted by: jrobie at December 18, 2004 01:47 PM
Hmmmm, after hours driving through the winding roads of the Hollywood Hills.I wonder where your parents were?
Welcome to the early morning, it's the best.
Posted by: petrie at December 18, 2004 07:42 PM
Hey, morning is great — all we really need to do, though, to see it, is: stay up an extra half hour.
Posted by: JVG at December 20, 2004 11:58 AM
This is true. I have seen the dawn more than most. The blur only makes things prettier!
Posted by: Alexis at December 20, 2004 02:26 PM