When did you see the sun rise? Why were you there?
Just One Question #11
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Harmonic Convergence
Well, I see it rise over the ridge every morning, because the Best Dog and I are walking a route carefully arranged to avoid the most likely coyote spots. But the time I remember best was on Mt. Tamalpais for the Harmonic Convergence (remember that?). My father, sister and I got up in the dark and hiked to the top of the mountain, with a thermos of coffee and blankets. There were people around us, mostly quiet. As the sun started to rise, we realized that there were many, many people surrounding the top of the mountain, who had been invisible in the darkness. Cheers went up, conch shells were blown, people hugged each other. I will never forget it. Especially since my father was not exactly a Harmonic Convergence kind of guy, but he was an infinitely curious and open person. I hope I follow in his path.
Strong, Free, Bold and Kind
After After Prom
After my senior prom. I’d made plans to go have a very late-night breakfast, after the after-prom party, with my date, my best friend, and his girlfriend. But my date wasn’t into me so she went home, and my friend and his girlfriend decided they preferred different plans. I thought about just going home, but instead, I drove the hour to Virginia Beach, sat in the sand and watched the sun come up. It wasn’t a profound philosophical experience, but it was the first time I’d done something like that alone, and I’ve held on to how it felt for almost thirty years now.
Dave
On hyttetur…
I was 15 and in Denmark, starting 10th grade. Our class went on a “hyttetur,” a get-to-know-everyone retreat. You stay in cabins somewhere away from the city. During the last night, some of us decided to stay up all night to watch the sunrise by the lake. It was the quietest quiet, and I remember watching the stars. There were so many stars! It looked like someone had spilled salt across an obsidian table top. I had never seen that. It was breathtaking. And we sat and talked and sat and watched and sat and talked until the sunrise turned the dark into pinks, oranges, and yellows. I remember thinking our sun is also one of those salt crystals, and how lucky are we to witness it all. I will never forget it.
Dee
Sunrise over Sunnyside
The day of the 2020 election, in the height of the pandemic in Queens, NY. Lockdowns still on our minds. Panic constantly buzzing in our heads. I hadn’t left my neighborhood or ridden the subway for almost a year. It was dark as I got in line to vote. Walking home, I turned towards the concrete elevated subway viaduct. It travels West to East straight through my neighborhood. The sunrise framed the tracks of the 7 train beautifully. A lovely lift in a dark time.
Hugh P. Klitzke
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