Sunrise from the Windshield of an Ambulance

I’ve seen more sunrises from the windshield of an ambulance than I have at any other time in my life; at least that I can remember. For most of my life, I have taken them for granted, just something that happens that marks a new day’s beginning. Back to the day to day.

The thing about sunrises is that when the day breaks through the night sky, it signifies the end of what was; the beginning of what is and will be. The night notwithstanding, what was is no longer.

While the waking world sleeps, the world doesn’t stop. The world that I inhabit becomes a much darker place. A place occupied by drugs, domestic abuse, squalid living conditions, accidents, and death…and those who sleep? Well, they’re none the wiser. Oblivious to the reality of a harsh world that rarely sees the light of day until it makes media coverage, ignorantly blissful in their own little world which is never too far from the darkness.

The nights are almost always longer than the days, and most certainly heavier. Brief moments of tranquility interrupted by the wail of a sire, the increase of a heartbeat, and frantic hands attempting to fix what has been broken. Hospital trips, the smell of blood lingering in the nose, the sound of tires on the road, all moving at a breakneck pace. Then, just as quickly as it began, the sun breaks the horizon. With the coming of the sun, the world begins anew and with it, so do I.

I’ve come to appreciate the sunrise more than ever in these moments. For in it, I find hope of a brighter day. A brighter day, indeed…until night falls again.