The sound of birds woke me at 4:45am.

Huh? Wait. I don’t normally hear the birds this time of year.

It was my husband’s alarm clock. He was the early bird and was up before his alarm and had forgotten to shut it off.

I couldn’t fall back asleep.

I got up dragging a bit of dread with me as I didn’t want to be up this early.

But then I got a little excited about embracing my walk that would now be in the dark, though a part of me felt some trepidation.

After some breathing exercises and half a cup of coffee I was out the door by five after six.

The unusually warm winds fiercely blowing and I had to hold onto my hat at times.

The soft glow of lights inside the homes I passed by made me feel cozy.

I was all alone in my little town.

Not a soul in sight.

It felt oddly comfortable.

Little ole me embracing the dark.

I thought about how I’ve learned to be more open to the dark the older I’ve gotten – literally and emotionally.

Approaching my home, just as light was beginning to fill the sky I saw my Joyful Pause/Paws Cottage studio glowing in her own right.

I was home. And I felt at home within myself too as I did something that scared me a little by walking in the dark.

My reward was seeing the soft light pouring from my cottage and how the dawn always reminds me that there is light even in the darkest moments.

XO

Barb