Outdoor Afro Contributor and Author Brandelyn N. Castine, author of U.G.L.Y talks about how a spiritual salute to the outdoors began her day in a whole new way.

I am the first person to tell you that mornings are not my favorite time of day.
Usually after hitting the snooze button multiple times, I quickly find myself in a flurry of searching through my closet hoping for something decent and not too wrinkled to wear, quick showers, slipshod breakfasts (if any) and rushing out of the door with just enough time to run back in and grab some all important item I forgot to toss in my bag.
This morning was exactly the same, however when I stepped outside, the sky literally took my breath away. It was as if God was reminding me to take a moment, breathe, pause and acknowledge Him. Watching the clouds break up into puffy pieces as the sun began to shine underneath them reminded me that this day is special because like each cloud in the sky it is one of a kind.
We need to take time and acknowledge the world around us. Because I took that moment to breathe and “Watch God” as Zora Neale Hurston would say, my day has been filled with a lot more light and love than it would have been otherwise. Tomorrow morning when you wake up, take a moment and just look up, or look down at the flowers, or straight ahead at the trees and remind yourself that this day is special, because just like you, there will never be another one like it.
Castine currently lives in the Bay Area where she is also a contributing author in the
Gumbo For the Soul Anthology, a project that was created to raise funds to support
literacy programs in the Bay Area. In addition, Brandelyn is currently working as a
freelance writer for Leather, Empress and Vapors Magazines.