Mornings Far Away

There’s something wonderful about waking up in another city.  Suddenly, the sounds that gently nudge you from your slumber are unfamiliar and somehow unreal. Did I just hear someone calling out in Spanish? you ask yourself, as your drowsy mind tries to make sense of reality. And since when did you hear sharp whistles for a cab at this hour of the day? It takes a while for consciousness to sink in and for you to fully awaken to take in the  newness of your hotel room. 

Then the adventure that a new morning brings starts to unfold.

I love tiptoeing in the dim light to draw back the curtains to reveal another world framed in the window. A bustling street scene of Barcelona, the rhythmic movement of the ocean, an expanse of towering buildings in New York, or the mountains of the Austrian Alps — all the possibilities of the world hidden beyond an enchanted curtain. And all that magic right at the start of a day. 

As I crack open the window or step out onto the balcony, another whole wave of sensations fill my senses. How could the smell of mountain air be so fresh or the salty ocean breeze be so inviting? How could the crisp chilly air of the north transport me right back to my earliest childhood memories? Everything seems surreal. 

Oh yes, how wonderful it is to wake up in another city, where your soul arises as your body awakens. Everything is recognized more keenly. The foreign sounds and smells are perceived and not merely overlooked. The beauty of the world is appreciated and not just ignored. Each morning brings hope and excitement. Life is lived intimately. 

And all begins with mornings far away.

Thank you for reading!