January holds a special place in my heart as the month this entire project began. It began with my love for the new year and a fresh start.

Unlike any other month of this project, January gives me a unique brand of anxiety. As the month approaches, I’m weighed down by the question if I’ll be committing to another full year of sunrise.

January has become a favorite month of this project for a few reasons. The late sunrises (8:33 to begin the year) allow for some extra sleep. And some of my favorite sunrises are the below zero mornings with sea smoke rising from the water.

The freezing conditions are changing daily in January and it gives a heightened sense of anticipation to see what the Lake is doing any given morning.

“The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes. Unless a particular man made New Year resolutions, he would make no resolutions. Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective.” ― G.K. Chesterton, A Chesterton Calendar