The starting line…

Kicking my heels to-and-fro, with sandy and tired danced on feet…past exhaustion and into the elation that comes from staying up all night, I stared out over my beloved New Smyrna Beach.

It was the mid-90s and a few of us hyper curious teenagers rolled back into town just in time for the big ball of fire to rise from the ocean into the sky with the morning sunrise. We’d spent the night prior exploring the new rave scene that was taking over Orlando, Florida.

Slowly, the powerful lights and new-to-me intense techno music faded out of my head with the immersion of my soul into a new day. The sound of the ever reliant waves, coupled with the early morning bird songs and the washing of the salty air cleansed me. As the sun rose from the depths of the ocean- top to bottom- the warmth gently hugged me and I knew I’d forever prefer a sunrise over a sunset.

A new beginning. A new opportunity. A fresh start. A whole new day. Just…like…that.

My given name is Crystal Dawn and although I obviously had zero influence on this designation, it does represent what I look for in most I do. Clear and transparent bright beginnings. Opportunities.

There’s something undeniably intriguing about new experiences…meeting new people, exploring new places, trying new foods, listening to a new song, watching a new show, learning new things…all of these outside experiences build us from within. After all, isn’t life about a series of wonderful changes that grows one’s soul and fills them with all the possessions this beautiful world has to offer?

It is said that everything ends in tears. Sometimes happy, sometimes sad, but final. To me, that’s a sunset. Beautiful, but finished.

Not the sunrise. It’s the starting line.

And I love starting lines…

Happy New Year!

2025 New Year’s Day Sunrise, Boca Raton