My Turquoise Bag

“The whole sky had looked like gold, she said, and as for the clouds! Well, their beauty was beyond description. They floated in red and violet splendor over her head”.

Hans Christian Andersen, The Little Mermaid

When we were putting together our must-have list for our realtor, the most important feature to have in our new home was windows and a lot of natural light.

After having lived 8 years in a dim lower level rental, we wanted all the sunlight we can get.

Our realtor listened, and delivered.

Having the lake as our backyard ended up being a bonus.

Moving here in the Summer was a perfect way to experience the coastal charm of our new neighbourhood.

Sailboats, picnics, cycling and gelatos were a part of daily life here.

It wasn’t until Fall and Winter however that I started experiencing solar visits up close.

Down by the lake, the coldest seasons gave us the dreamiest of sunrises.

In the darkness of an average cold morning, patches of coral light would start to silently filter through our bedroom curtains, signalling that the break of day is quietly surfacing outside.

A peak from our balcony and I can see our orange orb floating magnificently above the water, announcing its presence.

A new day is here, and I am alive to see it.

Up until now, I only ever got to experience lakeside sunrises in Muskoka. Now, I couldn’t believe this view was our backyard.

There isn’t a day that I don’t stop to wrap that thought warmly around my heart.

On most days, I admire this view from the warmth of our home.

But on some days, there is something about the dawn sky that pulls me outside and makes me want to touch what a new day feels like.

I would love to bring you along on these solar visits. Below are my favourite captures of our lakeside sunrises.

First appearances

There is nothing that makes me feel more alive, as in, acknowledging that I am a living and breathing being who was granted a new day, than bearing witness to the sun emerging from a silent horizon. Aside from the occasional dog walker and jogger, I often find myself a solitary sun worshipper on the shore. I prefer it that way. The stillness of myself, the sun and a deep exhale while the wildlife around me starts their day before I start mine.

Fireside

This sunrise of January 10, 2025 will forever be imprinted in my mind. It was a frigid subzero morning but the red sky pulled me out of bed and lured me to the shore. Sitting in the stillness of the morning, I felt like I was floating in a dream of fuchsia. I was the only one there, and it felt like the sky had shared a secret with me while the rest of the world slept.

Balcony greetings

Every day the morning sky looks different from our balcony. Sometimes it’s a pastel backdrop, other times it’s a grey canvas. And every so often, I am at eye level with a burst of neon clouds or a golden sphere greeting me with a tail of glitter on the water below it.

City skyline

From this vantage, the Toronto sky line looks so small when compared side-by-side with our floating round star. Looking at the high rises from across the lake, I wonder if anyone else is awake in their 30th floor bedroom, face-to-face with the sun.

I know that a picturesque lake isn’t accessible to everyone, so this is what I invite you to reflect on:

In just a moment’s time, the dawn’s bright coral sky transitions into a faded blue. The magic that mesmerized your eyes just a second ago, disappears. You look around, and the sky appears so plain.

Just like that, an extraordinary sky becomes another ordinary day.

An ordinary day of commuting to work, school, or running errands. The grey sky pairing with the monotony of modern life.

Perhaps, dear friend, our days really aren’t that ordinary after all. Perhaps there is room to touch extraordinary in our daily routine.

Maybe it’s the way morning light accentuates the steam of your coffee.

The pink clouds you witness on your drive or when you walk your dog.

The way golden hour makes geometric patterns on your wall.

How the evening sun boosts the eye colour of the person you love.

Whatever fleeting moment of light arrives to you, try to take a moment to be with it.

The sun’s transient presence passes but when it does come, it has the ability to make us forget the ordinary for a second. And maybe that’s what it takes to remember that being alive to see another day isn’t so ordinary after all.

🌞 xo