Sunrise 7:03 am: Beginnings

For almost 25 years, my husband and I have been rising before dawn - at least in most months - and jogging as the sun rose. Along the way, we've seen wondrous sunrises, encountered all kinds of critters and started each day together in a kind of sacred silence. Dawn jogs can be industrious - I've written marketing copy, designed brochures in my head and come up with lead generation programs. And they can be reflective - prayer, after all, is not asking but rather listening. They've also become a bit obsessive, not just because they happen through rain, sleet and snow but also in charting what time the sun actually comes up. Did you know that living at latitude 37.4 degrees north and longitude 122.2 degrees west that, following the shortest day of the year in December, it starts staying lighter at day's end before it starts getting lighter in the morning? Just the kind of arcane detail picked up through daily dawn jogs.