Following the Sun

Our middle child is a plumber, and in visiting houses for a living, he meets a lot of great dogs. He told us about an old dog who passed the time lying on his dog bed on the back deck, warming himself in the sun. Every now and then, the dog got up to reposition his pillow back into the sunlight’s shifting path across the deck, then plopped back down to nap. Waking to find himself in the shade a few hours later, he’d rouse himself again, drag the cushion to a new sunny spot, and sink back down to warming slumber.

I was thinking recently about which room is my favorite room in our house, and this story of the dog came to mind. I realize that I am the dog on the deck. My favorite room is the room where the sun is.

That would be the kitchen in the morning where we sit at the breakfast table each day, watching the sun rise in the east over our mugs and plates, surmising the day’s weather by the tinge of color the sky offers: pale pink for stormy, light blue for cloudless.

Midday, the sun streams through two windows framing the living room fireplace on the south side, so that’s where you’ll find me then. Even the dog finds a good nap on the sunny swatch of sunlight falling onto the carpet there. Like minded, we two.

Late afternoon has me swing open the big old front door to let the sun stream in through the glass just beyond, and also there, through the dining room windows on that same side. This part of the day gets a little tricky for the front porch that spans the width of the house tempering the light coming from the west. But step outside on the porch in such a case, and there you go! Bright and beautiful with just enough warmth, but not too much. After all, it is late in the day and the yellowy orb is lowering in altitude and intensity.

If you wonder where I’ll be sitting with my favorite book, you’d best check the time because honestly, I’ll be following the sun.

Chances are, the dog will be there, too.