As 2019 approached its end, many people inquired if I was going to sleep in on January 1. Of course I wasn’t going to sleep in. Year of the Sunrise opened my heart and soul in such a way, I concluded, why would I stop such a healthy and rewarding practice? After all, it already feels like sleeping in when January sunrises are an entire two hours later than summer.

With the conclusion of YOTS I, one significant takeaway was to encourage others to watch more sunrises this year than they had the year before.

While driving to Peninsula Point Lighthouse on January 1, I made the realization that 2020 was a leap year, meaning I could actually fulfill the same commitment I’ve been asking of others. So, I watched another 366 consecutive sunrises.

Two and half months into YOTS II everything changed when I was forced to close my retail shop due to the COVID pandemic. There was no way to know what was to come, but during a trying year I leaned further into my sunrise ritual, giving me something positive to focus on during an unprecedented year. Nearly each and every morning became a meditation focused on gratitude. No matter how gray the day, literally or emotionally, I was reminded the sun still rises.