Watching the sunrise from the pier

Where sun meets water, clouds, and sky
Cancun, Mexico
November 2019
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Rarely do I wake up in the morning and instantly jump into the day. I like to linger under the covers for a bit as I slowly transition from sleep to full-speed life. It's like a car merging on the highway: Smooth, consistent, drama-free. Any other way is just too jarring.

If it were up to me, I'd linger in that delightful half-dreamlike state for hours. But even when you're away and ostensibly on vacation, experiences await. You don't want to sleep it all away.

That's how I found myself standing at the end of a white-painted concrete pier jutting out into the Caribbean Sea, waiting for the sun to peek over the horizon.

My logic was simple: Most days it isn't an option for me to stand beside a large body of water and take in the sunrise. So today I thought I'd take advantage of where I was and sacrifice a little sleep for a minor photographic adventure.

The sun held up its end of the bargain, and after I was finished shooting its slow creep above the edge of the planet, I sat quietly under the thatched roof and drank in the silence.

Except it wasn't silent at all. Waves lapped the shore. Birds argued with each other on decaying pilings. The wind gradually picked up. Other sun-seekers strolled onto the beach and took pictures with their smartphones. I drank in the sounds of a seashore coming alive.

Soon enough I was trundling back to our hotel room, sand stuck between my toes and thoughts racing through my head. I decided losing a little sleep in exchange for moments like this was absolutely worth it.

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