Day to day, where do you want to be? –Gomez

A lot of times people write analogies about times of the day. In fact, even I in the 11th grade wrote a rather elaborate poem about the course of a life in one day, using different animals for the literary magazine. I remember compiling a rather extensive list of animals, their group names, mother/father label, baby title, etc. all of this for that poem…one that I’m not sure I could put my hands on today, perhaps in America I’d be able to.
However, that is not what this post is about. I love many different times of the day. In the US living on the East Coast, I loved the morning and having the chance during summer days to wake up before dawn and go and watch the sunrise over the ocean (though my mom would argue it was the sunset). Here, I also adore the sunrises. The colors that appear in the sky though my tiny glimpse of Lake Victoria is magnificent. Even as the sun continues to rise, up to 7:30 am, it’s a mystical time of day with the sun gleaming in through the dust that rises from the rusty earth. It’s often cool here in the morning, which gives warning to how hot the day will be. The colder the morning, the hotter the day will be. It rains a lot here, and not just during the rainy season. It seems that as the rainy season approaches in late March, the amount of rain is gradually growing, as my classroom will not so gladly prove! I am grateful for the rain, though it may cause me move the desks in my room to avoid being filled with water. It not only replenishes the thirsty land, but also cools us down. I’ve somehow grown to love the sound of rain on a tin roof. What’s funny about rain in Africa is the way that people disappear. You can be in the middle of getting petrol when it starts raining and the attendant will evaporate for 20 minutes because he is afraid of the rain. But through those times I am indebted to another learning experience in patience in my day.
Another wonderful part of the day is the night time. Though it’s not so safe for me to be out wandering the streets at this time of day, I can’t help but be drawn out of my home (still within my compound) to marvel at the stars. I know that I’ve mentioned them before, but I will never, ever cease to be amazed at that phenomenal creation of God’s! It’s a rare night when I don’t notice them. Orion’s belt and my ‘northern cross’ draw me and I find myself searching as I did with friends late at night in national parks in the US.
However, I think that my favorite time of day here is around 6:45pm. I can’t put my finger on it. It’s not necessarily the sunsets, because oddly enough that is not something I’ve noticed here. It’s not a good time for the photographer in me to snap away. Rather, I think it’s what happens to the people. There are so many people out at this hour, either making their way home or selling shoes on the street corner. As the light begins to fade, even the outskirts of the city become alive. It’s almost a homey feeling. I can’t figure out why. I grew up in horse country, not a city, though I’ve always loved wandering through lower Manhattan. People here are friendly despite the hustle and bustle. They are on a mission, but happy to stop along the way and interact with others to get things done. It’s also a relaxing time of day where things are drawing to a close and families seem to gather together again.
Have you taken the time to soak in the world around you recently? God has us each where we are for a reason, don’t forget to glance around at where that is from time to time, and at all hours to learn something new about Him.