Not an ordinary sunrise...

Time really has been getting away from me recently. I keep meaning to blog and then I don't. It's all about being absent. A few weeks ago I had a friend over for dinner. Three of us (my girlfriend, myself , and my friend) sat at the dining room table over empty plates and sat and talked. No rushing around to GO somewhere else, no needing to BE anywhere. We just were present in the moment. Talking about everything and nothing at the same time. We all had a-ha kind of moments at the same time when we realized that we really were all just enjoying the now... and it was a wonderful feeling.

Too often I find myself lost...absent if you will. It is so easy to be absent in your own life for whatever reason. Me, I worry, I fret, I try to control the uncontrollable... and in that lose the now.

Which brings me to my sunrise. The one this morning.
I work second shift. 2pm to 10 pm. Tuesday to Saturday. I cannot even tell you the last time I was awake, early enough to watch a sunrise. When you have to be functioning at work until 10 at night, being up early enough to watch the sun come up, makes for REALLY long nights at work.
My girlfriend and I drove down to Baltimore Maryland yesterday afternoon to see the Indigo Girls play at a local bar at the inner harbor. We stayed at a hotel 6 blocks from the bar. We stayed out late, drank a few too many beers, caught a ride back to the hotel and managed to sleep for a few hours.
I knew I had to be at work today, I knew that I should get as much sleep as I possibly could. In spite of needing sleep, I set the alarm for 6 am and watched the sun rise from the 21st floor of the hotel. Baltimore is a beautiful place. Anywhere is beautiful in the bright red glow of the sunrise. A small knock on the door indicated room service arrived. Breakfast in the red/orange glow of the sun. Window open to the noise of the city waking up. Sleepy conversation with the love of my life over too small cups of coffee. I said "They forgot the sugar, but lets not call for any. " She said "ok" and smiled. we were there, just sitting, in the now of THAT moment, enjoying the sunrise.

It is 7 pm almost 12 hours since that sunrise. I'm exausted, I am tired and NOW I am smiling.