I went walking on the last morning of youth camp. I really love the early morning. Lots of people don’t. Lots of people dread the early hours. Tiredness, weariness and grogginess are like a cloud obscuring the day. Science tells us that people have a natural circadian rhythm and that it is difficult to reset. Being a night owl or a morning person are neither character flaws or badges of honor.
I do still wish for people the joy of a new morning. I love the growing light in the sky. I have cajoled my family, my friends and youth groups over a long peril of time to wake up in the dark and climb up, drive up or just crawl out of bed to see a sunrise. For me, the pain is always worth the gain.
Last week, on Friday morning I wandered the camp grounds nearly alone. A single runner circled the opposite side of the lake. I followed a red-winged black bird through the rushes. I watched the mist waft off of a pond. A bluebird ruffled his feathers shaking off the cold night air. The sounds of life swirled around me.
One of my favorite pictures was the vivid violet of a thistle perched on the edge of the pond. The sunlight was glancing across the flower petals. The first thing I saw was the colors. Then, I raised my camera to snap a photo. That is when i looked at the flower more closely. The sharp spines protect the flower. I remembered the story we were told in Scotland about how these particular sharpened blades protected their country. We were told about the viking hoard and how they were about to spring a surprise morning attack on the castle when an unfortunate nordic foot stepped down upon a thistle. The resulting whoop of pain alerted the castle to the threat. The Norsemen were defeated, the castle saved.
I looked carefully at the stem. Tiny filaments of a spider’s web clung to the stem. A different day, a different trap, still deadly. The unsuspecting insect, drawn to the sweet nectar of the flower is a target for the arachnid hiding in the spiky leaves. Beauty and danger all in the same place.
Every morning, holds the same promise. Will this be a beautiful day? Will I avoid the traps laid for me by the evil one? The answers to these questions will become clear by our choices.