Caleb Hits the Road

The alarm had just gone off; 4:45 am was too early. Dragging my weary body out of bed for something that happens every day was going to be a chore. Little did I know that the event not many witness or even think about was going to change my outlook. The moment was close and I had to be ready.

Living in the seaside community of Wainui Beach, just outside Gisborne, New Zealand had been exhausting. Between chasing five and six year olds around the classroom for months, riding my bike the eight kilometers in to town, finishing my student teaching, and fulfilling my graduation coursework; I was more than ready to head home- to the mountains of Montana.

Wainui Beach is located on the east side of the North Island, which means it’s one of the closest places to the International Date Line. For most that does not mean much, but I saw it as the opportunity to bear witness a fresh start; I was going to be the first person to see the light of a new day. As my time on Aotearoa, the Island of the Long White Cloud, was coming to an end, I needed to take action. December 14, 2008 was going to be something exceptional.

As I approached the bench, my spirit began to lift. Looking at the camera in my hand, I realized it would never do justice to the impending show; it would only capture the ghost of the experience to which I could look back or share. I could hardly tell where the surf was, much less where the sunrise was supposed to be. The beach was deserted and the houses in the area appeared lifeless, I was the only person poised to witness this event. I was ready. The clouds slowly became a vivid display of purples, pinks, and oranges, the ocean reflected their prefect brilliance. The only soundtrack that could express the vibrancy of this moment was the thunder of the crashing waves. The sun was rising just for me and I was waiting to say hello. The intense golden glow was almost too much to look at as the curve of the sun broke the horizon ready to warm the beach and the souls of the community. Soon the multicolored clouds fled to let the sun rule the heavens. In an instant, it was over.

I've seen many sunrises before and I’m sure somebody at Wainui had seen my sunrise but this was special. In my mind I was the first person to welcome the sun. My shared moment with nature had rekindled something deep inside. My energy was refreshed and I was no longer looking forward to going home, but looking forward to the next adventure. I had been blessed with another day.