By The Light's Early Dawn
It is morning. I stumble out of bed and disconnect myself from the dialysis machine. After taking my blood pressure and temperature, I dress. By that time the little doggy is ready for a little walk.
Usually I take the double bagged garbage, containing the tubing used for my dialysis to the garbage. If I let it go for one day, I can have two huge garbage bags and several boxes sitting in the kitchen, waiting for me to cart them down three flights of stairs (who am I kidding, I use the elevator) and throw into the dumpsters in the back.
This is my quiet time. I set a rapid walk with the little black Chihuahua running beside me. She wants to sniff the flowers and the other dog's urine, but I drag her along at a fast clip for a woman who is going to hit sixty in a couple of months.
At the back side of the building, I hear a black bird practicing sounds for the day. At first it sounds a little like a siren. We've been hearing a lot of them lately. Four people have died on this property in the last month. It should be surprising since I live in a active senior community. The black bird's sounds end in a chirp, chirp, chirp and its day starts.
If I look to my right I see the sun, peeking through the dust. As its rays hit me I can tell how hot it will be today. It will probably reach 110 even though there was rain yesterday. It is unusual to see rain this late. By summer solistice the sun is beating down from a blue sky, which means it stays hot. Even the early morning on these days starts at 90 degrees. It is why I walk the dog at dawn and not later in the day.
In the last part of our walk I feel my hip joints. There is a constant low-level pain. I tell myself that I am almost done and then I can sit down and drink coffee. When the dog realizes that we are out of the elevator, she starts to run. She looks like a rabbit at those times. I can't run. The last time I tried, I tripped and landed on my face. I still keep up with her and hold her back by her leash.
We reach the door. Today I have another appointment and I'll be driving about twenty minutes away from the apartment. But, I will be calm. That's why I walk in the morning. The constant pace of my stride, the birds, and the sun bring me peace.