The Sun Shines

The moon’s brilliance humbly bowed to the awakening dawn. The rising sun ushered in blue skies and chilly January temps. As I drove in to town, I lost myself in the beauty of the emerging sunrise over the Cascade Mountains. I parked the car near the trailhead and within minutes Kathy arrived.


We began our run. After a week of grey skies and winter rains, the sunshine beckoned and the trail came alive with runners, walkers and bikers; joy clearly seen on every face we passed by. Our steady pace seemed effortless. The trail delivered us to a park nestled at the ocean’s edge. The boardwalk freshly opened after months of repair, was bustling with people. From the corner of my eye I see a seal somersault in the ocean’s dark grey waters swimming well below the surface and out of sight.


Our talk is of current life happenings; we are lost in conversation and the miles quickly pass by. We begin to run a trail taking us into the forest. Approaching the abandoned trestle, I notice the homeless man who often sleeps there is nowhere to be seen. I pray that he has found a warm bed.


The creek waters dance as we run by. Moss thickly covers the trees lining the trail. I marvel how each season brings its own beauty to the woods and how easily I can overlook it. We turn around, head back into town retracing our route. Our mileage will vary today as Kathy prepares for her marathon next weekend. At the end of 8½ miles we part ways and I turn down the trail for my final 4 miles alone.


Sun filtered through leafless trees exposing the underbelly of the wetlands below the trail. Moss crept along a decrepit cement retaining wall trying its best to cover the spray paint left by some thoughtless ruffian. In the distance I hear the rumblings of a train. Within moments the train is speeding by on its way to deliver the coal filled freight cars. Screeching brakes cut through the silence as the engineer attempts to slow the massive power while traveling through downtown. The train leaves and with it all clues it had been there. Silence once again falls on the trail.


Making my way back to the car, I pause to gently stretch sore muscles. The sun feels good on my skin. Despite the briskness of winter, the sun is shining strong giving the promise that spring will soon be at hand. A man shuffles by me. I smile and say hello; he nods. I climb into my car and realize I have no idea where my sunglasses are. That’s ok, though the sun shines bright, you won’t hear me complain.