Somewhere Over the Sun

My last few nights have ended in daylight. As the world slowly comes to life again, I start getting sleepy. Today, at the park, since all life comes from water, it starts with the sprinklers. Then the bugs come out, dragonflies and Jurassic-looking bumblebees. Birds cross the sky over my head and I instinctively flinch, knowing that I have evaded bird shit for 24 years and that the streak will one day come to an end. 

Let’s rewind to about thirty minutes earlier. I walk backwards into my car. The rising sun sets again, goes backstage and waits for our cue to come out. I get a little bit less tired. I’m at the top of a parking garage at a local’s hotel in Las Vegas, and the sky is barely bruising itself awake. I’m about to light a cigar to celebrate the day’s end (by my definition, anyway) when a security guard pulls up. He doesn’t actually say anything, but by getting out of the car he asks me what I’m doing so close to the ledge. ” I’m watching the sun rise. “You can’t do that here.” I can’t watch the sun rise? “Nope, we have a policy against loitering. You can’t be here without a purpose.” But I just told you my purpose. I’m watching the sun rise. “Sorry, we can’t discriminate. You’re loitering. I’ve had people throw things. People try to jump off.” Someone should quote Vonnegut to this guy. We are here on Earth to fart around. Humans are just a bunch of loiterers. I’m pretty certain no one’s ever tried to jump off his parking garage. He mostly just farts around.

So now I’m driving away from a great viewing spot without a contingency plan, staring at the sunrise through my rear-view mirror. I wander, wondering why there aren’t any signs for this sort of thing. Sunrise viewing area, three miles ahead.

The park is not an ideal viewing area. The mountains are too close and there isn’t a clear, unobstructed view of the city. But, it turns out, pretty much any spot is a good spot to watch the sunrise. I sit on a bench, light a cigar, keep a wary eye on the birds. Life continues to evolve. Dogs being walked by jogging owners. Kids hunched over bicycle handlebars, caveman-like. I loiter, sip some coffee, sip some water, change the song. My day ends with a shine.