This is the second time we visited Carillon in North Miami Beach. The bad news is that the hotel is located in a rather seedy part of town, the good news is the location on the beach. It is private, uncrowded and the sea is beautiful. The rooms have been repurposed from a Canyon Ranch Spa, so they are all suites, with living rooms and little kitchenettes. We had a fantastic view of the ocean and since I was jet lagged, I was awake to witness beautiful sunrises from my balcony.
The above photo is what the sky looks like just before the sun breaks through. The colors of the clouds are yellows, pinks and oranges. And then in a moment, there it is. Just a fleck of little thing that heralds a new day. I could hardly believe it was the sun the first time I saw it.
Being from California, I am used to seeing the sun on the opposite coast, and it is going down over the Pacific Ocean not coming up. I suppose if I were a geoscientist, I could tell by the photo which way the sun was going, but quite frankly, it looked remarkably like a sunset in reverse to me!
In a nanosecond, or so it seemed, the sun would be up and a new day had begun.
Sarah, not being jet lagged, slept through the whole thing. She would usually drag herself out onto the balcony look at the sun and squawk that it was already hot.
In spite of the squawking, hers and mine, we enjoy each other's company. We have the same sense of humor, the same politics, and a very similar view of life, which makes for easy conversation. I usually try to get her to do one "foo-foo" as she calls it, appointment a year. This year, I left her alone after we both were scanned and weighed and told our percentage of body fat. It was a humbling experience and the beginning of a type of spiritual awakening for the both of us.
She discovered treadmills after that, and I remarked how much technology on treadmills had changed in the last 6 years. We slept through movies together, talked of family, and laughed a lot. I recently read an article in the NYTimes entitled, "A Sibling Fight Survival Guide." A sentence in the article struck home..."Our hope is that our children will be one another's playmates at home and allies out in the world, and that they will be there for one another long after we are gone." This perfectly describes the relationship I have with my sister. We were playmates as children and are allies as adults. It's a life long, profound relationship for the two of us.
Before I knew it the week was over. Future ocean sunrises will be unseen by me until next time.
We did have a Moon over Miami moment.
With all of the craziness in our world, nature never disappoints. It is always larger than me and more spectacular than I remember.
Happy Summer!
