Morning Sunshine

Sunday, March 19th, 7:52 a.m.

There are studies that show getting natural light shortly after waking in morning helps regulate your circadian rhythm making it easier to fall asleep at night. So for the past few months my partner has been taking a short walk (yes, through the middle of winter!) right after I leave for work. A month or two ago, we started going together on the weekends. 

Monday, March 20th, 6:41 a.m. - Vernal Equinox

It is cold, but it is a very short walk, only 10 - 15 minutes long. We just get up, put on yesterday's clothes or our PJs and shoes & coats, and head out, down the driveway, and down the street towards the sun. Then, to maximize our exposure to what little sun there is, and to move our bodies in novel ways, which improves balance and more, we walk backwards back to the driveway. We are lucky to have a nice flat street without a lot of people or traffic.

Tuesday, March 21st, 6:44 a.m.

This week, we started walking together on weekdays too. I am so not a morning person, and I hate getting up & out of bed in the cold and dark. Thankfully the sun is now just coming up about the time I'm getting up. Jacqueline gives me a little verbal prod, and I roll out of bed and blearily get dressed and fumble my way outside. Jacqueline is a total morning person and is ready & raring to go, cheerfully chattering away, while I can barely form coherent thoughts, let alone words. I love it. ♥

Wednesday, March 22nd, 6:39 a.m.

I've been trying to take a photo each morning, not a little influenced by Shayla Maddox's A New Dawn project, even when the sky is just... grey. As with Shayla's project, I think it will be nice to look back on how the sky and landscape change over time.

Thursday, March 23rd, 6:42 a.m.

Some days, there has been no color in the sky at all. Sometimes the break in the clouds isn't where the sun is. And sometimes I forget to take a photo altogether!

Friday, March 24th, 6:43 a.m.

On the weekends, our walks are a little later, because we don't use the alarm to get up. Yesterday & today there was another person out there walking too. Probably because we were later, and the weather is ... improving?

Sunday, March 26th, 8:25 a.m.

We don't talk too much, probably because of my general grogginess, but we listen to all the birds, and look for them in the bushes and skies. This morning a raven flew silently overhead as we slowly moved backwards down the street. I am sure some people (ok, probably most) think we're nuts for doing this, but it's really quite magical, and I am sure, good for my mental health, as well as my physical health.