Mississippi Morning

I usually am awake around 4:30 am every morning during my workweek. I lay in bed thinking about what I have to do that day and wait for the alarm. But on Saturday and Sunday I get up, take my pills, stretch, put on my walking shoes, get out my mp3 player, hat and glasses, and head out for a walk around 6 am. The sun is just lighting up the horizon and there is a mist hanging low in the trees. The slight breeze feels cool on my arms and legs. Birds are heard but not seen. I begin my walk and dial the soundtrack to “Everybody’s Fine”.  The smell of Magnolias, roses, honeysuckle and many other sweet scents I cannot identify swirl around me as I walk. This is the time I think about other mornings in other places I've lived when I was alone with my thoughts, smelling fragrant plant life, feeling the dew being cooled on my skin by the slightest of breezes. I remember early mornings when my grandfather and I would sit on the front porch of his Alabama farmhouse, he with his coffee and me with my glass of milk, enjoying the smells and the quiet and each other. There are a few other walkers, joggers, bicyclists. We wave as we pass to acknowledge each other. Occasionally we mouth “good morning”, but mostly we just wave not wanting to intrude on each others thoughts and privacy. This is my Mississippi morning.