I am an early bird.  Always have been.  There is something truly inspiring for me to begin my day in total silence.  In the morning, before the rest of the household wakes, the tiniest sound is clear - the birds outside, the filling of my glass of water, the skritch of my pencil as I write, or my feet moving on my mat.

Being an early bird, I often see the sun rising.  Like a sunflower, I find myself facing the light as it filters through the trees behind my house.  What more promise is there in a sunrise.

When things are hard or busy, and it feels like there are too many things to do, a simple reminder that tomorrow is a new day, that the sun will predictably rise again, can make all the difference in changing suffering into thriving.

But sometimes, on those really, really hard days, tomorrow's sunrise can be too far away.

Here is an idea from Daily OM on bringing the sunrise into any moment:

One simple way to do this is to carry an image or a photograph of the rising sun with us in our wallet or purse. We can also post this image on our wall at work or at home, or have it as our screensaver on our computer. When we feel the need to start fresh, we can take a moment to gaze at the image, allowing its light to enter into our hearts. As we do this, we might say out loud or quietly to ourselves, I am ready to let go of the past and start anew. We might visualize anything we want to release leaving us as we exhale, and as we inhale, we can take in the fresh energy of the eastern sun, allowing it to light the way to a brand-new day.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

Rebecca