One of the writing prompts I saw asked, “What is your favorite time of day?” I think my favorite time of the day has to be when the sun is just barely starting to peak over the mountains when the birds are still barely chirping, their beaks closed with lingering sleep. When it’s still cold outside, and the dew sits upon the grass before being called away by the incessant sun. When fog lingers, thick and low, offering protection from the elements, offering some mystery and cover.

I like this time of day when it’s still dark in my kitchen, and my husband is either asleep or at work, and our dog has yet to be roused. I like listening to the water in the kettle boil, and I pour it into my mug for my tea to steep. I can look out my kitchen window and see the newly birthed light of day cast rays into the dew, which turns the whole yard into a sparkling sea of lush greenery topped with a little bit of magic.

I feel that the night comes so abruptly that darkness comes down quickly and heavily, and all the critters are out or scurrying home. The crickets all sign to announce their presence as they hide under the darkness of the night.

I like how quietly the dawn sneaks in, how the sunlight slowly inches its way over trees, slipping into windows, warming everything underneath it so gradually. There is something so beautiful about how effortless the morning sweeps in, so unhurried.

-Jane