Simplicity

We recently went on  4 day trip up north to Pine, Arizona. It is a small town in the forest, with several hiking trails, quaint eateries and shops, and absolutely beautiful scenery. Eric had found a "cabin" on Vacation Rental by Owner (I say "cabin" because to me it was more like a house...my image of a cabin does not include running water or electricity, but I guess I need to update my image). It was a cozy, modern-with-a- touch-of-vintage, homey cabin with a stunning rock fireplace indoors and a wrap around deck outside that overlooked the treelined mountainside. It was on this deck that I found a moment of simplicity that I am so greatful I was able to experience...
I woke up at 5am, on purpose, on our second day there. I wanted to be up before everyone else (my parents and grandma had joined Eric, Logan, and myself) but most importantly I wanted to be up before the sun. I so badly wanted to see the sunrise. I woke up at 4:40 on my own and heard the soft sound of rain. As I lay in a half awake/still half asleep daze, I marveled at how neat it was to be in the forest during a rain shower. Because Ive lived in Phoenix now for almost 8 years, I yearn for an occassional rain shower every now and then. How lucky I was to be in the forest, awake before everyone, enjoying listening to the rain fall on the roof! It then dawned on me that what I was hearing was Logans white noise machine (we were sharing a bed with him)...well, it was a nice moment while it lasted...
I quietly dressed in a sweatshirt and sweatpants and put on my fuzzy socks. Pine is about 20 degrees cooler than Phoenix and I knew the morning would be chilly. I snuck out of the room, made a fresh pot of coffee, grabbed my book and a few blankets and made my way outside. As I burrowed down into my chair (which was positioned right in front of the door...Ill admit I was slightly afraid I would be attacked by a bear at that early hour) I looked up and was amazed at the number of stars overhead. I sat and gazed at them for a few minutes then began to read. As the minutes passed the darkness began to fade and I watched the mountain line in front of me turn a pale pink. This is exactly what I wanted to see. I put my book down and just sat in silence. It was SO quiet. As I sat in the silence I reflected on all that was good in my life...I know that may sound like a load of shit to some people or sound very cliche...trust me, there was a point in my life where if I had read what I just wrote I would have rolled my eyes and made some type of negative comment on how cheesy that thought sounded. I am so happy I am in a different place now. Anyway, as I was reflecting, I thought of the people still asleep in the cabin...the dad I was able to spend his 63rd birthday with, the mom whom I am still able to turn to for parenting advice, the husband that supports me day in and day out, the 90 year old grandmother that is able to watch my son grow, and the sweet 2 year old that steals my heart everyday...the only person missing was my baby sister and HER baby boy and while I longed for her to be asleep in that cabin also, I knew I would be seeing her soon..."I am so blessed", I thought to myself. I took a deep breath and said those words again in my head. I really wanted to feel those words, and I did....for that moment life was simple and I held onto that thought as long as I could...
The mountain line was now a firey red and the darkness had almost all faded away. I heard a rooster in the distance, the first sound I had heard since being outside. Not even 5 minutes after the rooster began crowing it seemed as if ALL of the birds in the forest woke up. How amazing that was to hear! I took another deep breath and realized that THIS feeling was what I was hoping to capture by waking up before the sun. I would have bottled it if I could have...
In my peripheral vision I saw my moms shadow. I turned and she waved through the glass sliding doors and motioned that she would be right out. I retrieved another chair and set it next to mine. When she came out she said, "How was the sunrise?!" I looked at her, smiled, and said, "It was perfect".