Something about the last vestiges of night--the haunting quiet--that won't let me sleep. I've always been an early riser and I think it's because I love the concept of a clean slate. It's so intoxicating to wake up, even for one second, without yesterday's baggage cluttering my mind. Now imagine carrying that into the day. A Herculean but honorable task. Easier said than done.

The Zen Buddhists call it "shoshin" which translates to "beginner's mind" and consists of an attitude of openness and lack of assumption and bias. Everything is fresh and possible. We can be reborn every sunrise, every second, if we choose to be, and this idea permeates Zen Buddhism of Japan as well as countless other ancient cultures. When I was in Varanasi, India right before the pandemic hit, I went to the Ganges at 5am to watch devotees wake up the river and listen to the wisdom of the new day. 

Morning is the time I most like making jewelry. I feel the hope of a new day working through me and infusing my work. Here's to Eos and Aurora, Brigid and Tefnut: the goddesses of dawn and the morning dew. Thank you for another beautiful sunrise and precious fresh start.

I'm awake.