Born Again

No, I have not joined a Christian cult and yes, I agree with the bumper sticker “Born okay the first time.” But to live well asks for some kind of perpetual re-birth and that is the promise of each new day. To awaken at dawn with the sun dutifully rising and the birds singing in the morning and a freshness in the air, that feeling like just maybe today, we can see and hear and touch and taste the world as if for the first time, with all the wonder and delight that we once felt oh-so-long ago.

My morning routine during this time off from school is to get right to the desk while my energy is fresh and write through lunch. Then the luxury of routine exercise happens in the afternoon. But today I got right out on my bike and it felt markedly different. That connection with the re-birthing of the world, made more fresh by it being Sunday and not much human activity out on the streets. At the end of the ride, I was one of the first to get some fresh tomatoes at the Farmer’s Market rather than the last. Home by 9 am and with the day’s exercise behind me, free to do as I liked with the rest of the time. Which will include writing, but also sitting another couple of hours at the annual Opera in the Park in SF. A ritual event and the reason I was out and about so early was because it’s very close to my house and I always put the blankets out in near the front to reserve our space for the concert 6 hours later. It’s a good deal! (And note! I’m in the photo they used to advertise below!)

Truth be told, a lot of good writing happened while pedaling uphill and with a few notes jotted in my pocket notebook, I came home brimming over with inspiration. Moving the body appears to help move thought and maybe it's an even better way to invite the Muse each day. So I’m wondering about changing my routine and joining Thoreau and Mary Oliver and others who begin the day out in the world, singing it along with the morning birds, breathing it to life with the morning winds, walking it into movement with a stroll (or bike ride). We’ll see.

What’s your preference?