Tag: morning

Posted in color

The first color of the day

Posted on by William Douthwaite

When we rounded the corner (the bigs dogs and I), I caught a glimpse of the first color of the day. It’s usually dark when we leave for our morning walk, and the world is mostly shades of dark, punctuated by white lights on houses, headlights on cars, and the moon and a few stars in the sky.

Then, suddenly, something beautiful happens. Long before the edge of the sun touches the horizon, its light awakens the first color of the day. Light blue is first. Not a deep navy blue like you might expect. Pinks often accompanies the blue, though oranges might greet me as well. It depends on the clouds, the weather, and the season.

That moment never gets old. I always exclaim, “Wow.” The first color of the day takes my breath away. Morning loves to splash color in my field of vision. Yes, it’s a new day!

When God said, “Let there be light,” was it white? Yellowish? All the colors of the spectrum? Did that light explode or take over the darkness gradually, intentionally, and beautifully? God’s creative command echoes every morning as that first color touches the night.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

I feel like I’m in a cloud

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A thick fog held off daybreak for a few hours this morning. Car headlights revealed tiny droplets of water in the air. I love to look up at clouds in the sky. But now the cloud surrounded me.

My usual morning walk route looks different on a foggy day. I feel like a kid watching black and white TV. Colors have given way to nothing but grays. The street should be lined with houses, but I can only see the next one in front of me. A few cars suddenly emerge from the fog, as surprised to see me as I am them.

Limited visibility creates mystery. Is this the right street? Did I miss a turn? Do I know where I’m at? Who else is out here? Who’s watching me?

As I keep walking, I see the sun trying to break through, burn off the fog, and take over the day. It’s a lot easier to chase away the night. But I know the sun will win out. It always does.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

First song of the day

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jan Meesus on Unsplash

At 6:00 am, while I’m out on my morning walk, it’s still dark and very quiet. if the wind is blowing in the right direction, I may hear traffic from the interstate highway. An occasional car starts up and pulls out of a driveway.

Suddenly, I realize a bird is chirping. It’s an isolated voice as the first bit of light appears on the horizon. After a minute, another bird answers. Then another. The air is soon filled with many voices singing many songs.

They know. They know it’s time to sing. It’s time to tell the world to wake up.

And the world does. Lights come on. Cars are on the road. Dogs bark. Trash containers bang against garbage trucks. A small plane flies above. The brakes of a school bus whines to a stop for students.

These birds are so small. But their songs are so loud. Their voices carry a long distance. Farther than my voice at a full yell.

I whistle back. I imagine I can communicate with the birds. I mimic the song I hear. But I don’t know what the notes mean. Maybe I’m whistling something really stupid. Are they laughing at my dialect, accent, or nonsensical tunes? Probably. But it’s fun to try.

Posted in Life

An unexpected early morning treat

Posted on by William Douthwaite

The big dog (Willow the Great Dane) and I got out for our walk at sunrise on Thursday. Just around the bend from our house we passed a young, tall, lean, bearded gentleman from the first house on the street. He was dressed for much cooler weather in a knit cap, long sleeve hoodie, and sweatpants. Really? It was already 78 degrees. Temperatures were on their way to the 90s. Welcome to Florida, buddy.

We’ve passed him many times on our walks. But today he had a red, white, and blue rocket popsicle hanging out of his mouth. His hands were on his phone as the frozen treat stuck out from his lips.

My first thought: Breakfast of champions! My second thought: wait a minute, you guys don’t have any kids. You have red, white, and blue popsicles at your house?

I like ice pops as much as the next guy. But I wouldn’t buy them if we didn’t have grandchildren frequenting our home. You’ll find them in our freezer because the little ones visit and stay at our house.

Nutritional value? None. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Water, sugar, and some artifical coloring. A quick burst of energy? Of course. Beyond that. Nothing.

I know, he’s probably thinking, “Dude, aren’t you cold (in shorts and a t-shirt)? Where’s your ice pop? (Costco has them by the case.) Come on, buddy, support your country! USA! USA!

We always say, “Hi,” when he walks by, but he never responds. He doesn’t even look up. His earbuds filter out us and the rest of the world.

It’s all about the popsicle.

Posted in Life

Sky before screen

Posted on by William Douthwaite

In her “Choose to be Curious” podcast, Menka Sanghi encourages , “Every morning, before you look at your screen, just make it a rule that you’re going to see the sky.”

It’s a habit. I wake up, grab my phone and wander into the kitchen to start up the coffee maker. When the screen come to life, I’ll see notifications about a completed dishwasher cycle or an iOS update. My screen displays the current temperature and the number of view of my blog. I’ll glance at the weather for the day and notice how many new emails I’ve received overnight. I get sucked into the digital world before I’m even awake.

But what if I were to go outside and look at the sky? I’m going to find out. First thing in the morning, I’ll step out onto the back patio with the big dog and look up.

It’s still dark out. I notice the phase of the moon. There’s usually a planet close to it. I wonder which one it is? First I hear, then I see the lights of an airplane passing overhead.

Or the night sky is giving way to early morning orange and pink colors in the east. I wonder how many hues of pink and orange there are?

There may be clouds in the distance. Or they may completely cover the sky. Sometimes they just hang there. But other days they are racing by swaying trees as a storm approaches.

Occasionally, I’ll see the sun peeking over the trees. It’s so bright I have to shade my eyes.

Once in a very great while, since I live it Florida, it will be chilly enough that I’ll see my breath in the air. I won’t need to check the weather. I know it’s cold.

It only takes a moment, but in that instant I’m connected to the day, to the natural world, not manmade tech.

I put that mantra on the cover of my journal: Sky before screen.

Posted in Life

5 Simple Joys: Morning Sparks Happiness

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Emma Simpson on Unsplash
Daily writing prompt
What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness?
View all responses

Waking up.

    I’m a morning person. An early bird. No two ways about it, I love waking up in the morning. Somehow my body knows the time, and I almost always wake up at 5:55 am. Depending on the season, it might be dark, or the sky may be light. But that’s when I like to wake up, and I like to wake up. Rarely do I sleep in.

    Waking up and walking the dogs.

    This has long been a part of my morning routine. After feeding the pups, I put on their leashes and we’re out the door. We walk around the block or around many blocks. It’s quiet. The air is still. I can hear the sounds of traffic and trash trucks off in the distance. I think it’s the best time of the day.

    Waking up and walking the dogs as dawn colors appear on the horizon.

    As we walk, the sky slowly turns from night to day. As it does, many hues of orange paint the sky, especially if there are clouds. It’s magnificent. How can there be so many different kinds of orange? I’m impressed by the Creator’s work up above.

    Waking up, walking the dogs, watching the brightening sky, and hearing the birds singing.

    When we leave the house, it’s quiet. But not for long. One bird starts singing. Another responds. Pretty soon, my ears are filled with birdsong. I whistle back, participating in an antiphonal chorus. They probably aren’t fooled, but I like to think we are singing together.

    Waking up, walking the dogs, watching the brightening sky, hearing the birds, as ideas show up in my head.

    This is when I think of some of my best, most creative ideas for writing and storytelling, The rhythm of my steps and the tempo of my breathing stimulate my right brain. I speak my ideas into my phone, messages I’ll see later. I don’t want to forget.

    Everything about the morning brings me happiness, from my first step out of bed until I get back from the walk. For me, it is a magical part of the day, regardless of the weather, the day’s agenda, or how I slept that night.

    Posted in Life

    My Morning Ritual

    Posted on by William Douthwaite
    Photo by Yara on Unsplash
    Daily writing prompt
    What are your morning rituals? What does the first hour of your day look like?
    View all responses

    My body usually wakes me up around 6 am every morning. I don’t even have to set an alarm.

    After I pull on some pants and a t-shirt, I hit the bathroom, wash my hands and face, and wander out to the kitchen to start the coffee maker that I set up the night before. It takes about five minutes to brew the pot. I drink a big glass of water and wait to hear five beeps from the coffee maker. It’s ready!

    I drink my coffee black, so I fill up my favorite mug and sit at the dining room table with my bible, journal, and a pen, and do my morning reading and writing. I’ve been reading straight through the bible for years. I read a chapter or two and write down my thoughts, which may be the start of a devotion I’ll write for my blog. I also write what I did the previous day and the things I need to do today.

    Sometime during those quiet moments, I’ll hear the big dog (our Great Dane) stirring in the back bedroom. So I let her out of her cage and take her out into the back yard. When she’s done doing what she needs to do, I fill her bowl with food for her breakfast and another bowl with water. She’ll usually lie down for a few moments after she eats, giving me a little more time to write.

    And that’s my routine just about every morning. In the summer when the sun rises early, I’ll sit outside on the back patio. It’s so nice to be out there as the sky slowly brightens with all sorts of colors. It’s an amazing moment when the birds suddenly all start singing.

    Posted in outdoors

    Awake and outside for the dawn

    Posted on by William Douthwaite
    Photo by Simon Wilkes on Unsplash

    I wasn’t going to get up early. But I heard the Great Dane pup whining from her cage at 5:10 am. The granddaughters were spending the night, and I didn’t want them to wake up, so I quickly snuck in the back bedroom and led the big dog out of her cage, leaving everyone else behind (including the little dog) to keep snoozing.

    I got her out just in time. She must have had a lot to drink before bedtime. I gave her breakfast, grabbed my coffee, journal and bible, and went out on the back patio.

    Yeah, it’s still pretty dark at that hour of the morning. The humidity must have been down, because the table and chairs weren’t wet with dew. For some reason, the LED lights on the umbrella weren’t working, so I had to rely on my phone balanced on the coffee cup with the flashlight on to see what I was reading and writing.

    The big dog patrolled the yard, got a drink, and sat down under the table where I thought I could put my feet. No one else in the neighbor was up yet, so there was no one to woof at. Yet.

    As the sky got just the slightest shade lighter, dozens of birds started chirping, calling, and singing. I was amazed at how the morning went from quiet to noisy in just a few minutes.

    Suddenly, the big dog trotted off across the yard to let out an enormous, “Woof!” I don’t know what she heard, but it set off the dog alarm. It could have been a frog jumping out of the lawn or a car door in the distance. I barked my own, “Hey!” and she trotted back to see what I wanted. I just didn’t want her to wake everyone up.

    Sitting outside is totally different than being inside at my desk. I don’t know if it’s the sounds or the fresh air or the morning breeze. It just feels good to be out there. And since the high temperatures will be in the nineties and the evenings get kind of buggy, it’s the only time during the day I can sit outside.

    So I guess I don’t mind being woken up early.

    Posted in Moments of grace

    Sunrise and sunset: best times of the day

    Posted on by William Douthwaite
    Morning
    Evening

    Now that I’m taking our dog out for a daily morning and evening walk, I’m not only getting a lot more steps in but I’ve discovered my love of sunrises and sunsets.

    I love the walks that begin in the pre-dawn darkness and end in light. I also love the walks that I start before sunset and end in darkness. For some reason, I enjoy the transition from one state to another. As the sky brightens, I anticipate a new day. In the same way, as the night approaches, I’m acutely aware of the blessings I’ve experienced.

    For instance, my early morning thoughts were all about going to church today. I was looking forward to special Christmas music today, and imagined what carols we might sing. In the evening, I thought about all the people I talked with today. I hadn’t spoken with some for over a year. It was so nice to catch up with each others’ lives.

    It’s not always easy to time my walks for these moments. My dog Winston isn’t a morning person, and if I want to walk before dawn, I have to wake him up and lift him out of his cage to get him out the door. In the afternoon, he’s ready for his second meal of the day long before sunset, so I have to resist the “please feed me” look on his face about 4 pm.

    The colors of sunrise and sunset aren’t visible any other time of the day. The mornings are filled with pinks, while oranges show up in the evening. Sometimes I try and take a picture of the dawn and dusk skies. The photos never seem to capture the hues that my eyes see on my morning and evening walks. It’s as if God is saying, “You can experience these colors, but you can’t capture them. Enjoy!”

    In both the early morning and early evening, few cars drive by on our walks through the neighborhood. Many are still waking up to get ready for work of school. Later, they are gathering for supper. So we own the empty streets, walking right down the center, only listening for the newspaper delivery cars driving by.

    Timing is everything. Right now, as the winter solstice approaches, sunrise is late while sunsets comes early. Summer is a different story. But don’t worry. I’ll be chasing them both.