Coffee Not Needed: That View Will Do

Ever wake up one day and you just knew something good was going to happen? I feel like that most mornings. The view may have something to do with it.

This morning I awoke early, before 6 AM on a Sunday, going to bed before 11 PM last night. This could have been the first time in my adult life that I went to sleep that early on a weekend night. Take into account that I did not have an ounce of alcohol (even more amazing considering an epic Notre Dame game – a 41-30 loss – at their last game for the foreseeable future at The Big House in Ann Arbor), that makes for a unique experience indeed, falling asleep instead of passing out. It could also be that I was anxious for the NINERS first game this year, defending their NFC crown, my first amongst 49ers fans, all my life having watched their games alone, my favourite memories of us winning throughout the years, as well as epic battles with the New York Giants with my brother George and the hated Dallas Cowboys (coincidentally my dear friend Derek’s favourite team, as well as my brother Les’ wife Cecy), but I digress…

This morning I awoke to the intermittent sound of a foghorn, a sound I don’t think I’ve ever heard before moving here, aside from old films set inLondon. The sound had its place, as it’s extremely foggy outside, the fog so thick,you could cut it with a knife. In this case, I don’t need to, as the morning sun is cutting it for me, though at this early hour, it’s more just a smear splattered behind the fog. A slight chill pervades the air, as I get up to grab my fleece and go back to my couch. I disappoint Taylor, as he happily jumps around, thinking we’re going for a walk. I use this opportunity as a teaching moment, telling him to slow down so we can enjoy the quieter moments of life. He reluctantly lies back down on the floor in front of me.

There’s beauty in the early morning sounds of birds chirping in contrast with the cars on the 101 highway in the distance. I can even hear the slight sounds of a helicopter at an even greater distance. A slight breeze accompanies it all. If I drank coffee, this would be a perfect time. There’s beauty in the grey of the fog, though I see among the grey, light blue hues of the sky and the bay beyond it. My plants quietly take in the view as well, sitting proudly atop the balcony. The dark green of the trees shoots out alone through the fog. And some houses dot the foreground. As the fog dissipates, the reflection of the sun upon the water portends another good day. And the docked boats come into view to dot the bay as Tiburon sits out even further in the distance.

I wake up to this every day.

During the day, the view takes it to another level entirely – spectacular. I’ve never seen a sky so blue, nary a cloud littering its canvas. The trees are the greenest of greens, majestic. The sun warmly shines its colours on us bringing out our best. The boats are now out, sailing the bay. During the weekends, the 101 is bumper-to-bumper traffic, the Marin County citizens searching for the nearest hiking trail or dog park, of which both are plentiful. Though I sit atop the hills, behind me are still more rising up above me, hills with trails everywhere that Taylor and I frequent. Among them, one leads to the Golden Gate Bridge. That one is longer, and neither of us have made it that far; which gives us something for which to look forward.

At night too brings another story, the view also tres magnifique. The moon sits back staring proudly at us, calmer and perhaps more confident than the sun, secure in its quiet beauty. Of course I can see a smile. “If you believe, there’s a man on the moon…” The night of the Super Moon must have been splendid; the only thing I am sorry to have missed. The lights everywhere dot the landscape… that of houses, office buildings, boats and cars, all of which sound louder under the night sky. The stillness of the water is replaced by the waves crashing, a clear contrast to the moon’s calm.

I fall asleep to this every night.

Quick post-note… I hope the good thing that’s going to happen this morning means the 49ers are going to win!