I want to say I woke up, pre dawn,
but the truth is, at about 5 am,
I decided to "give up" and crawl out of bed.
Last night we camped at the river.
The kids and I.
After raining for days, they finally convinced me,
(with guilt, by the way) to camp last night.
Near zero C temps, ( that's Freezing for all you non metric folks)
the dampness in the air,
and a 1 inch foamy as a bed ,
comfort , warmth, and sleep eluded me.
So, I gave up, got up, stretched,
and quietly surrendered.
And enjoyed sitting by the unlit fire pit,
sipping last nights now icy, herbal tea,
wrapped in a blanket that smelled of fires past,
and listening to
the silence of the mechanical,
sounds only of the river, the birds, and the wind.

For about an hour

Then, at 6 am, I awoke them from their cozy sleeping bags,
and we headed for home.

Guilt only works with me if I've had my morning coffee.