DAWN

          

            Night calls to dawn.

            Slowly, darkness gives way to light as the morning sun seeps in with its glorious rays. Nocturnal creatures scatter to their hidden dens and daytime activities begin. Finishing my morning prayer, I pull back my curtain to let just enough light in and examine my reflection at the mirror. Signs of aging start to seep in to my face. Smile lines, eye bags, dark circles around my eyes, and crow feet linger on my face as I gently rub my sleepiness away.

            I glance at the time. 6:02. Less than thirty minutes until I have to be present at online devotion. I heat some water for coffee and quickly hop in the shower to freshen up. Donning my uniform, I put my hair up in a bun and logged in to Google Meet. I waited. As I sat in front of my screen with barely any makeup on, I started to think about the good things coming out of staying at home.

------

            Days are slower once you are mindful about your decisions. It’s been a couple of weeks and I’ve barely put on a hint of BB cream or tinted moisturizer. I’ve only applied lipstick and filled in my eyebrows for a quick confidence boost, but that’s as far as I could go. I’ve learned to live simpler yet more meaningful. I cut off unnecessary social media such as Instagram and filled the void by reading the novels I’ve always wanted to read and winding down by doing yoga and journaling. I find myself more relaxed and in control of my classes compared to when I was struggling to please everyone around me.

             With the increase in time spent to improve myself, I was able to reconnect with an inner part of me that was pushed to the side many months ago. For the first time in a while, my poetic side came out. Finally, after months of stress and suppression, I was able to compose my first poetic description of sunset. After the ode to the sunset came out an endless desire to read fiction—poems, plays, fantasies—all to express and to release a side of me often hidden while I work. Being an English teacher and a lover of language can be tiring as I have to balance two drastically different life sources.

            I guess what I’m trying to say in this short, one-take blog post is that I’m thankful for this season. I’m thankful I got to take a break and rediscover another side of me that’s been dormant due to the necessities of life. Simplicity, the art of living day by day and operating with just “enough,” is indeed refreshing in a world crying out for more, more, and more.

            Finally, night calls to dawn, and I awake with renewed vigor and resolve. Steadily, the rays of emotion and intelligence that lay dormant for a while seeps in and ushers in a new stage of life—a life renewed and restored. A life that understands the value of balancing fact with feeling. A life with its passions revived and invigorated.