morning magic

We went on a long walk this morning and it was wonderful (just around the neighborhood with the baby and the dog- nothing exotic). There is something about being outside in the crisp, sunny morning air with the dew on the grass and the sound of birds chirping that makes me feel more relaxed and hopeful than just about anything else. The way the shadows are still long and the air smells like wet earth makes me feel like it is a clean beginning of something wonderful.

Today on our walk the beautiful morning kept bringing back memories of other wonderful mornings: waking up on camping trips and seeing my breath in the air while warm in my sleeping bag, the peaceful quiet and buttery glassiness of the water on WaterSki-Wednesdays, walking to my early morning physics classes through Duke forest, morning swim practices outside, waking up while camping out for basketball tickets in K-ville, the stillness of the water at sunrise in the boundary waters, training runs with friends while the Durham summer air was still "cool".

When I was first diagnosed with depression my therapist recognized the magic of sunshine and prescribed two things: Prozac and outdoor exercise. That second prescription took me on long walks through Duke forest daily that would be the only time the crazy, depressed side of my brain would quiet down to hear the birds. I would spend hours walking with the dog. And while the prescription was not magic bullet (therapy and antidepressants have remained a necessity for another 5 years) it instilled in me the importance of getting myself outside in the sunshine- preferably in the morning, preferably in the spring! It is the best means for me to meditate and clear my mind.