7/2/14: "Early to Rise" OR "Alone Time"

I love waking up before everyone else. 

Waking up early allows one to see a version of the world that few others ever will. In the early morning hours, when the world is just waking up, everything feels different. It's like the world is being born all over again, and you get to witness it firsthand. 

What I like best about waking up early is the time alone I can have before the rest of the world catches up. For me, it's a time to be still and quiet, take in the world that my God created and think about what today might bring. 

And to blog, of course. 

It's THUMY Senior High Beach Retreat 2014. This year our condo isn't as close to the ocean as in years past, but it does have this amazing view of a golf course. 

Plus, the ocean is less than a mile away, so that helps. 

My morning run was short today, because I didn't know the area well enough to know that the road dead-ends at the end of this development. Still, I got to see the ocean, emerald-green and barely a soul in her. 

Though I'm much more at home with some solid ground under my feet, the ocean is a welcome change, and was always my favorite vacation as a kid. 

When I got back from my run, I was still the only one awake in the condo. I was able to make a cup of instant coffee without waking any of the youth sleeping in the living room, and I snuck onto the balcony by way of going outside and climbing going through the gate. 

I wasn't alone for long. Soon my friend and fellow youth worker Tim and his inant son James were awake. Tim left James with me so he could fix the baby some breakfast, granting me and James a great opportunity to feed some bagels to the local wildlife. 

And it's awesome experiences like this that make it worth relinquishing some of the solitude of the morning. That, and ducks are awesome.

Also posting my running stats, because if I don't I'll never keep track of it all. 

Good morning, Destin. Good morning, world.