On Morning Magic

Photo by Nancy Dushkin

LA is a hectic city to call home. I find mornings to be the best time to steal away a few quiet moments before the madness of the day begins.  I experience most of my quiet moments at Griffith Park right when the sun is coming up.  During the week, I usually get there by 6 am.  Sometimes I am alone and sometimes with my boyfriend.  We run the winds and twists upward while experiencing the first light of the day.  The sunrise can be muted hues of sooty pastels or blindingly bright, but it is always magnificent.  

You see, running is my antidote to all bad things of life--fatigue, stress, too much candy, too many grad school student loans, too much sitting at the office.  I collect my thoughts when I run and I let them go.  

Running for MAC and me has, at times, become a social experience.  People that we see everyday begin to expect us at Griffith slogging up the hill.  If I am solo, they ask me where my partner is.  Little by little the procession of people we pass along our grand ascent has begun to be a part of our mornings. They say hi.  They pump their fists.  They encourage us, "go, go, go!" We are now implanted in each other's morning schedules.  I know where to expect them on the morning route--I use other people to gauge whether I am running late or cruising ahead of schedule.  We depend on each other and it is really something so simple and so nice.  Positive salutations in the midst of solitude. I tell you, mornings in LA are truly magic and I hope to see you out there.