The Sun Rise

Finally, I can truly say that I've seen the sun rise. Not the sunrise. The sun rise.

This morning, I decided to do things a little differently. Usually the only time I can tolerate silence is while I'm studying. The radio is always (and only ever) on while I'm getting dressed, and I'll usually take my breakfast in my room with the TV on, so as to avoid waking the roomies with the living room TV.

But this morning I took my sweet maple-syrup-drenched whole wheat waffle and my steaming cup of tea and sat down at the table. And that's when I realized that silence isn't so bad after all. Here I was, munching my waffle, sipping my tea and looking out the window in front of me at my beautiful campus. When was the last time anyone in our culture actually took a second to appreciate the meaning of silence. No jarring music, no annoying commercials. Just me, my food and my thoughts.

And then it happened. It started as a spot of light popping up over the building in front of me. Before I realized what was happening I found myself transfixed at the sight of it. Disregarding the classic childhood rule, I stared directly at the gleaming spot. I felt as if I was the only thing, the only being the sun was shining upon. And then I saw it. Right before my eyes, the sun began to rise. The spot began to creep above the building, getting bigger and brighter. Only until the intensity became too much and everything around me turned to spots did I peel my eyes away from it. Once I did, I realized something momentous. I had just seen the passage of time.

We all know that the progression of day to night, of summer to winter, is indicative of the Earth's passage through space. But the connection between the two is very difficult to grasp. Yesterday the fire alarms went off around dusk and we had to evacuate the building. (Everything ended up being okay). As we filed back into the building the sky was that peachy-blue evening color. By the time I got back to my room and sat down at my computer, I glanced outside and noticed, with a start, that it was completely dark outside. Just like that. Not more than five minutes ago was I standing out there in the light, and now it was nothing but night.

But now I snap out of my philosophical meditations and return to the mundane monotony of daily life and dash off to journalism class.