Walking in Dreams

It's a beautiful thing to take a walk at 6 am. The stars are still out and I can find systems at a glance. At the moment it's a bit cold but nice and dry. So the walk I take during the final hour of darkness is very pleasant.

I should probably run but I am enjoying taking my time. This morning I didn't bother getting dressed. I just put a coat over my pajamas and donned my worn out running shoes. I snuck out the back door, hoping no one would be woken by "the silence of someone trying to be silent" (Stolen from John Irving, A Widow for a Year).

The streets are different. There is an empty peaceful vibe like I can hear the residents sleeping, like I am walking through their dreams.

I do meet some people, not many. Some smell of cigarettes or perfume. I'm sure their breaths smell like coffee. But they don't want to greet me, they don't want to make any contact with me and that suits me fine. Even the rare dog walker changes direction when they see me coming, or else I change mine.

We are shadows in a dream not wanting to be noticed. A part of us still wants to sleep. So we go quietly on.

I pass houses decorated for halloween or fall. I pass expensive townhouses, fancy sprawling monster homes, but I am more interested in the small bungalows. They are on the extinction list. Many of them are full of character with elaborate gardens. Rare is the one that isn't well kept. They speak to me of goodness, diligence, and simplicity but also of warmth, comfort and clarity.

I see windows of apartments alight. I see objects like statues and paintings that are unfamiliar. I wonder where these neighbours came from. I wonder how much hidden talent lurks in the dark places of my hood waiting for an opportunity to show itself and enlighten all.

When I am about five minutes from home and freshly ground coffee, yogurt with cereal and fruit, I find a sky that has turned dark blue. Some days I turn a corner and it is infused with an orange that fills everything and takes all my thoughts away. They are the days I want to stay there and honor the dawn.