The Different Times Of The Day

In many ways I enjoy all the different times of the day but I especially enjoy mornings and evenings. I often lament about getting out of bed but once my feet are on the floor, the sleepiness washed from my eyes, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee floating through the house, I feel good. It's a kind of spiritual awakening to go out my front door and to the end of my driveway to get the morning paper. These days the neighborhood is bathed in a soft light as the sun begins to rise and the air is fresh. It smells like spring and I breathe the new life deeply into my lungs. When I return to my house I enjoy twenty of the best minutes of my day. I sit quietly in my chair and read a few thoughts from the Tao Te Ching or some other spiritual book. I ponder its meaning as I sip my coffee. It is a moment of total peace. Afterwards I leave home and jump into the morning commute. It has a whole different feel from the evening commute. I am fresh, my mind is clear, and I am calm. Little can disturb me. Once at work I do whatever the day demands. After my workday is over, I face the evening commute. It always seems more intense than the morning commute. Everyone is tired, some nerves are frayed, and people are anxious to retreat into their homes. It's the same distance but feels twice as long. If you add the element of a late afternoon rain storm you have the feeling that every human being that owns a car is out on the road driving it. Most days all of us make it home safely if a bit frazzled. There is little in life that feels as good as crossing the threshold of your own home after a day of fighting dragons. The sun begins it's nightly retreat and the air cools. Last night after bathing, I sat in my chair again and read the morning paper. Soon I fell into a gentle sleep as the aroma of freshly mowed lawns blew in my window. Later in the evening as the day was nearly complete, the sweetness of my neighbor's honeysuckle bushes filled the air. My day that seemed to begin so many hours ago was drawing to a close. I returned to the bed that I had slowly left after my alarm clock awakened me. I don't usually look forward to the rude awakening I expect on work days but I do enjoy reliving each day the simple joys and feelings attached to the different times of the day. All is good.