1 Great Day + 6

Brewed Beverage of Choice: A Tall Glass of Franziskaner Hefe-weizen
Soundtrack of the Day: Life is Grand - Camper Van Beethoven

Damn! There are so many things circling around in the world of chaos I like to call my mind. The past seven days have been the best seven successive days I have encountered in many years. AND, it is topped with the proverbial cherry of today. As I sit here writing, I still cannot believe how grand it really was.

It started this morning as I rose at 4 am to go to work. I know what you are saying. "4 am? Are you crazy?" And normally I would have to agree with you. But until you get up at that time and witness it for yourself, you cannot imagine what you are missing. By 4:45 I was crossing the Hawthorne Bridge on my bike heading into downtown. The canvas in front of me was amazing. What I saw was the skyline of Portland with a backdrop of the shadowy West hills and the midnight blue of the sky. It was probably one of the most serene images.

If you have not seen a city at that time of morning, I likened the image and feel to waking up early in the morning and watching your lover sleep: watching her chest rise and fall in rhythmic bliss, watching every little twitch, watching her as she dreams the simple dreams that make her happy. It is the most peaceful and most romantic scene.

Seeing a city while she sleeps is quite similar. As I peddled across the bridge, amazed at what lay in front of me, it occurred to me that I am 1 in maybe 50 that are seeing exactly what I am seeing right now. 1 in 50 seeing Portland in her deepest slumber. 1 in 50 who can say they saw the dozing Portland at 4:45 am on May 3rd, 2006. And by the time my train reached my destination, the sun was out and the serenity was completely disturbed by the commotion of rush hour.

To add to the absolute beauty of the day, as I was riding home, crossing the same bridge, the beloved Mt. Hood stood directly in front of me draped in her finest white, fur coat. It is somewhat rare to see her at this time of year. Even more rare to see her in her finest coat. I said hello. She said hello. And we went on our merry ways each enjoying the day.

There is so much more I could say. You might say, "What about the other 6 days?" To that I say, "If you can imagine this day, multiply them by 6, and you will get the feeling of all 7 days without having to know any details." With that I will go and finish the day. One of these days I will get up at 4 am and walk around the peaceful streets and by the riverside of Portland. I whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone in any city. You will see a whole new side of your home.

Cheers!
the zen brewer