(Sing With Me) LET The Sunshine In!

I awake to rays of sunlight streaming into my soul, into my morning, my consciousness.

What a gift — a delicious way to welcome in the day.

Providing simple hope.

I can hear some of you saying, um yeah, isn’t that obvious?

But for over 10 years my partner and I rented a comfortable stand-alone home that was superb in many ways — lots of privacy, a landlord next-door who was literally like a friend, a never-increasing rent, a private patio.

And so consequently we were lulled into ignoring the fact that every window in the house — every single one — only faced north.

We knew our home was dark — we even referred to it sometimes as “the cave.” We could never truly know what the outside temperature was like until stepping into the driveway to feel the sun on your face.

It was a cozy place that fit our needs, especially at night. Some light came in, sure, but it was secondary and diffused, never direct.

I somehow didn’t realize the glorious soul-warming feelings (that were free!) that we were missing out on, daily. I thought of that as a privilege but not something necessarily needed.

…

Last February we relocated to the desert, near Palm Springs, into a home facing west, with the morning sun ready to come in the back windows every morning.

The first and second morning here, I stepped out of the bedroom in disbelief — taking in the streams of sunshine, the visible shafts of light hitting across the entire living room.

I was a 49-year-old guy like a kid in a candy store, or a teen who’s just discovered the joys of self-love.

Eddie, there’s sun, streaming all over the living room, filling the entire kitchen and TV room like we always wanted!!

I bounced up and down like a sugared-up toddler.

Such a silly thing. Yet we all know Seasonal Affective Disorder is real. And we were the silly lads living in sunny Southern California yet feeling the effects of SAD on those days we never left the house, the cave.

For ten years.

Sometimes the greatest gifts are so obvious, are free to all, as long as you make them a priority in your decision-making.

Facing the world is hard enough. There’s plenty out there to bring you down. Going forward, I will forever choose my home, my sanctuary, based on the way the sunshine greets me there in the morning.

What a great way to wake up, face the day and remind yourself –

It’s another day, I’m a writer, and I’m inspired to share magic with the world.

—

This post was previously published on medium.com.

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From The Good Men Project on Medium

What Does Being in Love and Loving Someone Really Mean?

My 9-Year-Old Accidentally Explained Why His Mom Divorced Me

The One Thing Men Want More Than Sex

The Internal Struggle Men Battle in Silence

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