Early Mornings

Clouds aloft sail the sky

Like a fleet of ships at sea

Rising sun lights the underside

Of each and every tree

Once upon a time I slept

Through every rising sun

Now I awaken with the birds

Who greet the day one by one.

I'm not quite sure how I came to be someone who routinely wakes up on weekends with the sun. I suspect it's a combination of having kids, some mild chronic back pain, and aging. I used to love staying in bed until at least mid morning on the weekend and any day I had off. Things change over time and sleeping/waking habits aren't exempt from that. When I was a young child I remember being outside on the swing set in the summer early in the day, before the sun heated things up too much, the grass still wet with dew and the bees not yet buzzing from flower to flower. I remember the joy of it. My mother hanging out the laundry, checking the berry bushes, and pulling stray weeds from around the flowers. I love those memories and going back to that time in my mind, and feeling those feelings. Early mornings, especially on weekends, are a time for reflection and walks down memory lane.