Sunrise

I’ve seen so many sunsets in my lifetime, and each time I’m enamored by that big orange ball descending ever so gracefully into the end of an earthy backdrop. I’m usually sitting on a beach, or a pier, somewhere in Florida or the Caribbean, when I witness this ethereal act of God and nature. I’m always awestruck.

But just a week ago, I witnessed something even more spectacular.

I wasn’t surrounded by the peaceful presence of surf crashing against the rocks, I didn’t have a cocktail in hand and my best friend by my side, rather, I was sitting in the Sarasota airport. It was 6:30 in the morning, and I was waiting to board a flight back to Boston—exhausted, and yes, hung-over--- after a weeklong business trip. I was too tired to even sip my coffee, and barely managed to make chit-chat with two company acquaintances sitting nearby. All I wanted to do was go to sleep. And, then Mike, a colleague, said, “Take a look at that.”

I followed the direction of his finger and couldn’t believe my eyes. “Is that the sun? Rising?” It was nothing I’d ever experienced before. Never. Hard to believe, especially for my traveling companions who promptly responded, “Oh, c’mon, you never pulled an all-nighter in college?”. Well, I did, but I gather at the time I was not interested in the rotation of the earth.

I sat and watched the sun ascend. It was, is, the best thing I’ve witnessed since the birth of my kids.

I don’t know why I was so taken by what is an everyday occurrence, but it was one of those moments when you put your life in check.

On my flight down, I sat next to an engineer. We talked about construction and building automation, and that little black box that holds all of the secrets of a plane in flight. He knew, because he built those boxes. He was also a retired army officer: A former Commanding Officer in Iraq. He told me stories of his mission, which included bombs, fatalities, fear, and, purpose.

From that point on I noticed the kids in army garb walking through the airports. Where were they going? Where had they been? What had they seen? I was just a mere mortal, on a business trip. They are heroes.

Sometimes I don’t think I get it. I read the paper, I watch the news, I hear of the horrible stories of the world. And, yet, I go about daily life not worrying about what’s happening anywhere else. That sunrise—for whatever reason—grounded me, connected me, and more importantly, brought me back down to earth and made me appreciate all that I have: All that we have, safe and sound on the South Shore.


-Steph