I don’t know when I started using the rise and shine greeting. I emit the slogan more for myself than the dog. The part she likes is the ear rub and the head scratch that accompanies my close talking and, possibly, a kiss on the deep crevasse that runs down the center of her boxer-like skull.
Ellie’s initial beckoning wake-up moans and groans only occur after she enters the bedroom around three o’clock in the morning. I’m usually in a semi-dream state, but I sense her staring at me. I don’t even need to open my eyes before saying, “Lie down; it’s not time to get up.”
I rise with the sun, hav
ing not used a clock in my bedroom for over fifteen years. I’m blessed with a gift that starts with a bedtime thought about what time I need to get up. And with that, I will wake up on time. I cannot explain it, but it works. I have so many things I cannot do. This one thing at which I am entirely successful makes me slightly elated.
The hour following my sermon about the fact that it’s not time to get up only includes fitful dozing. It’s not unlike a church service with a boring speaker. Some dozing is to be expected.
Ellie makes noises as she lies there, trying to remain silent. She’s no different from a criminal who recently heard their Miranda warning. They don’t want to talk, but silence is difficult for some people. And Ellie, of course.
I never get out of bed until she is completely silent for a few minutes. I don’t want her to believe that the last peep is the determining factor for my rising.
Once my feet hit the floor, and I stretch out the painful plantar fasciitis, I search for a bit of attire, don it in grand style, and then wander toward the bedroom door. The dog stands by the other side of the bed, waiting for me to pass.
I stop, bend down in the darkness until I see the faint glow of her gray chin and eyebrow hair, and I gently rub her ears and say, “The sun is rising, and it’s going to be a good day.” I mean it, but I know it’s not wholly accurate every single day. She doesn’t care. She says nothing.
It’s probably the only moment of the day when I know there will be no argument. I like that.
The sun is rising, and it’s going to be a good day.
From the jagged edge, we remain,
TC
&
Ellie
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