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Beyond beautifying Boulder as it basks in the glow of sunrise,  does sunrise serve another purpose? Yes! of course!

Each sunrise, a reliable event, is the harbinger of the glory of the new day and its limitless possibilities. One day the color might cover the entire sky, horizon to horizon. Other days can be clouded over and show nothing much beyond a solid gray. A great metaphor for life! We can have a wonderful day even under a flat gray sky!

If your schedule allows, watching the sunrise each day is magical. A metaphor in the flesh so to speak. Experiencing the sunrise, taking in the variety of the sky appearance, seeing Venus perhaps, encourages a great mindset for the new day. Simply taking in the quiet glory of the colors, whether spectacular or more sedate and flat, simple, our minds are tuned into noticing what we are seeing. We are reminding ourselves that “mindful seeing” is special, easy, and merely takes the reminder to see with our whole body by using our eyes as an access point. What we see is truly “seen” by the whole body. This can be illustrated in the extreme by noticing the entire body’s reaction to the eyes observing something shocking.

Our sunrises can be viewed as newly written software for the day ahead, and we are doing the coding by merely actively watching, mindfully watching the sunrise. Venus, the morning star and the evening star, is frequently part of the sunrise, and a real bonus. Just as a morning stretching routine loosens the muscles, watching a sunrise can loosen the mind and broaden perception. Beginner or adept, we all benefit from “stretching” those muscles and those parts of our brain.

 

Leonard Frieling
  • Senior Counsel Emeritus to the Boulder Law firm Dolan + Zimmerman LLP : (720)-610-0951
  • Former Judge
  • Photographer of the Year, AboutBoulder 2023
  • First Chair and Originator of the Colorado Bar Association’s Cannabis Law Committee, a National first.
  • Previous Chair, Boulder Criminal Defense Bar (8 years)
  • Twice chair Executive Counsel, Colorado Bar Association Criminal Law Section
  • NORML Distinguished Counsel Circle
  • Life Member, NORML Legal Committee
  • Life Member, Colorado Criminal Defense Bar
  • Board Member Emeritus, Colorado NORML
  • Chair, Colorado NORML, 7 years including during the successful effort to legalize recreational pot in Colorado
  • Media work, including episodes of Fox’s Power of Attorney, well in excess of many hundreds media interviews, appearances, articles, and podcasts, including co-hosting Time For Hemp for two years.
  • Board member, Author, and Editor for Criminal Law Articles for the Colorado Lawyer, primary publication of the Colorado Bar Assoc. 7 Years, in addition to having 2 Colorado Lawyer cover photos, and numerous articles for the Colorado Lawyer monthly publication.
  • LEAP Speaker, multi-published author, University lectures Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, Denver University Law School, Univ. of New Mexico, Las Vegas NM, and many other schools at all levels.
  • http://www.Lfrieling.com
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