Saturday, August 21, 2010

Sunrise in Wilton Manors - Picture

In the still of the morning, the only sounds that I could hear were my own thoughts.  I was contemplating the lecture series I was listening on Ancient Chinese History, the lecturer speaking on Confucianism and Taoism.  The former seeks positive and constructive change, the latter seeks stability or perhaps reactionary conservatism. 

Being someone who seeks constant improvement and positive change, I found myself rounding the corner contemplating why someone would not want to make their lot better and improve things for all.  All the while, my dog was taking me through the still and coolness of a late summer morning in South Florida.  Coolness is always relative, I find a house at 76 cold these days. 

Thinking of the description of life in an ancient Chinese village with the dogs barking at your approach and the roosters on the wall crowing in the morning, I realized that I was mentally in the same time of day as was that picture.  3000 years ahead in time, half way around the world I was walking thinking of an unnamed farming village looking at the sunrise here in South Florida.  There aren't any roosters in this neighborhood, this isn't Key West.  There are plenty of dogs, all of which seemed to hear my footfall as the last bits of the inky night melted away. 

I rounded a bend in the road and the sun had just peaked up over the distant horizon enough to be in my eyes.  The shock of the morning grabbed my attention like the squawk of the parrot in the palm above my head, I looked up at it and thought, this is a pretty sunrise.  Very few clouds in the sky, not even the clouds that are almost constantly just off shore, the last few stars were winking out to hide for the day. 

At the corner, I paused for a bit, watching this natural sight and decided that I'd pull the camera phone out and take a picture.  Lettie wanted to sniff on, but corralling her close to me, she watched as I framed the shot and took the picture.  The palm framed the sun, Mercury or Venus trailed behind as they danced their celestial morning dance, greeting me with their light.

Another morning begins in South Florida.

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