Since two months ago, my life has changed dramatically. I live in a different apartment in a different city. Like so many others, I take the train to work every morning and rely on it to return home every afternoon. I mount the same train car, stand in (almost) the same spot, and see the same faces, postures, and black jacket with white star painted onto the back. Some days, I feel tired, but I am invariably happy. My happiness visits me much more regularly, and last for longer than the night. In the last two months, I have changed the way I exercise, socialize, and understand my place in the larger scheme of human society. I feel much more well-placed. Love permeates much more of my day, every day. The difference is palpable, and it is rare these days that moments of empty feelings stay empty for long. To the cosmos, the gods, and my ancestors, I offer sincere thanks. I want to take care to respect these gentle and profound gifts, and the relationships that sustain them.
Rising with the sun lends strength to our efforts. Wrestling our minds out of the darkness and into the dawn of consciousness, with less fear to plague our thoughts. Having risen with the sun, our efforts for the day are blessed, for they accompany the cycle of the celestial beings, following in their timeless way. Night blankets our worlds after the sun sinks beyond the mountain tops, and lays our efforts to rest. Our hearts become quiet, although questions may linger. The time for doubt and seeking begins.