The Day After Thanksgiving

Today is the day after Thanksgiving- the day famously known for “Black Friday” shopping or sleeping in after indulging in a feast of traditional Thanksgiving food the day before. Today I did neither of those things as I woke up at the crack of dawn to drive 2.5 hours from Silverdale, WA back to my home in Seattle. Ever year we spend Thanksgiving with my grandparents who live in Silverdale, so I am familiar with this drive. However, most of the time I drive with my family and do not leave so early in the morning. This year was different as I had work commitments today, so I woke up to my unpleasant alarm clock at 4:30am, got in my car in the darkness of the early morning, and started my trip back home.

My drive was peaceful. Since it was so early in the morning, I listened to soft Christmas music to get myself in the holiday spirit and keep myself awake and contently followed the familiar freeways in the direction of my home. As I mentioned earlier, I have done this drive to and from my grandparents’ house many times, however this time felt different. First, I was alone, so I got to really sit with nothing but my own thoughts and my quiet Christmas tunes for a couple hours, thinking about everything I was excited about and nervous about in the upcoming weeks. Second, I got to experience the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen while on this drive. I wish I had not been driving and could have taken a photo of my view, however I am sure pictures would not even begin to show the true beauty of the sun rising over the Puget Sound and Tacoma Narrows Bridge. A slight cloud covering made for a streaky sky with stripes of yellow, orange, and pink throughout the clouds and reflected in the water on both sides of me as I drove over the bridge. I thought about the people that had stayed up all night shopping and were just now crawling into bed and missing this gorgeous view, or the people that were in food comas and passed out from the night before. While this sunset was short and the moment was fleeting, I truly believe that moment where I was crossing the bridge and admiring the sky surrounding me was the most peaceful I have ever felt. I have always known that experiences alone in nature bring me peace, however this moment was even more peaceful than the rest as it felt like time stopped completely. The wheels of my car seemed to turn on their own and I sat there enjoying the stillness of the sunrise and deserted roads that morning on a day that tends to be one of business and traffic for most.