Bursting golden rays and the awakening of a new day

Recently, my morning greeting device quit working. A soft beeping sound at the dawn of each day for the past 25 years is no more. 

Instead of buying a new clock, my husband tried out some alarm sounds available for free on his phone. He chose one to his liking. He’s hilarious.

This otherwise happy morning girl was more than annoyed when I was rudely jolted awake from my slumber by an obnoxious sound.

I read where a sudden, loud noise initiates an automatic mechanism known as the “startle response.” I was more than startled.  It was almost grounds for immediate marital counseling. 

Increased stress-hormone levels left me agitated and over the edge at the start of what was a new day. The sudden release of cortisol did prepare me for an immediate response.  

Triggering a moment of exaggerated rage, I had no remorse in how I expressed my negative emotions and verbiage. 

Haste makes waste, so I got my act together and headed out to the store. I had high hopes of purchasing the same type of alarm clock with the same exact beeping sound. 

What was I thinking? Technology is forever changing. Talk about a crisis. It was an ordeal. So many choices.

The one I purchased for a measly $7.98 plus tax really should be sent back to the factory for demolition. Adjusting the volume is not an option and the beeping is so dang loud. 

I am hopeful that my brain will soon be conditioned and the sudden shock to my nervous system will be reduced. Overcoming “alarm anxiety” requires action.

Did you know that you can actually buy a clock that mimics the rising of the sun?  The claim is that it can bring you to consciousness in a relaxed manner. 

Home Depot sells the BIBVIS sunrise system. “It gradually brightens the display over a chosen interval, from five to sixty minutes before the alarm, so the transition aligns with circadian rhythms and reduces morning stress.” The cost is only  $173.99 plus tax with a two year protection plan available for another $32.00. Yikes.

Here is a better idea. 

Keep the clock you already have and set it for the approximate time the sun will rise over the horizon. Requiring neither electricity nor batteries, a sunrise is free and readily accessible.

On the fourth day of creation, God strategically created the huge hot glowing ball of hydrogen and helium. Located in the Milky Way galaxy, and centered in our solar system is the sun. It serves not just for light, but as a marker for signs, seasons, days, and years.

Without its energy life as we know it could not exist here on planet earth. The sun is essential to human survival. 

Science reveals that exposure to sunlight boosts the production of serotonin. According to the Cleveland Clinic, this chemical carries messages between nerve cells in the brain and throughout the body. 

The “happy hormone” plays a key role for aiding digestion, wound healing, bone health, peaceful sleep, reduced stress, calmer mood. 

I have discovered in my few years of life that engaging in an activity that allows for a happy transition from the sleep-wake cycle is beneficial. Nature plays a pivotal therapeutic role in overall well-being. The golden rays are proven to positively prepare the body, mind and soul for what lies ahead. 

I have been blessed to watch the sun rise over many different places. The Hot Springs Mountains range across from my house, the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Lake Champlain in Vermont, the Gulf of Mexico, and Cadillac Mountain in Maine.

There is one spectacular show I had the privilege of watching that surpasses them all. 

My husband and I left for vacation in the early morning hours of a summer day in 2023. Approximately 17 hours later our travels parked us just outside of Topeka, Kansas where we hunkered down due to loud cracks of thunder, bolts of lightning, and torrential downpours.

It seems senseless to pay for a hotel room for just a few hours of sleep. So pulling into a rest stop we settled in for some shut-eye. Life is good.

We typically avoid any beeping noises to awaken us while on an adventure as that is against our rules. We wake up when we wake up. 

Around 5:30 am, stirring like mice, Daniel brewed some coffee over our Coleman cook stove.  Every sip was way better than Starbucks. The view was incredibly beautiful and the calm and quiet after the storm was just what we needed.

Rays from the sun began to burst forth and peek over the flat rolling grassland of a Kansas Prairie. Wow, what a display of the greatness of God. The most dazzling, stunning show of the sun’s rising was ever before me.  

I stood in reverence and awe of its Creator as the sun fully emerged within just a matter of moments. My mind cannot even begin to comprehend the magnitude of the daily miracle that I witnessed that particular day. What a marvelous wake-up call. 

“From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised.” - Psalm 113:3 ESV

Chasing the sunrise.

Rise and shine.