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Web
site: Sun salutations from a survivor
By Margo Harakas
South
Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted April 11 2006
Marc Fest lives on Miami Beach, two blocks from the
ocean. Recently, he got the urge to watch the sunrise. Now the
entire world can sit on the sand and absorb the calming
panorama of shoreline, seabird and rising sun.
With
digital camera, Fest makes movies of the breaking of a new day
and posts the snippet -- with sound of pounding surf and
squawking gulls -- online at aftersunrise.typepad.com.
"Nothing is
as positive or uplifting," says Fest, vice president of
communications for New World Symphony. "Something like this
reminds you of how special life is."
Last year, Fest
was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. "It's a very curable
cancer," he notes. His doctor has since given him a clean bill
of health.
"Watching the sunrise reminds you how every
day is something to feel good about."
Fest, whom
colleagues and friends now call Sunrise Man, admits the
posting is kind of sappy, kind of kitschy. But life, he says,
"is inherently kitschy."
Initially, the videos were
shared only with friends via e-mail. Their enthusiastic
response resulted in the blog. "Everybody kind of gets a boost
from it."
The pieces are short, about one minute or
less, and surprisingly varied. "The sun rises differently each
day ... different things go on on the beach, people walk their
dogs, ships come in, people do their yoga."
Lately,
he's begun to ask others encountered at daybreak on the beach,
"What are you looking forward to today?"
Those that
focus longest on the rising sun and lapping waves -- "Windy
City," "Lucky Enough," "A Monday's Sunrise," "Rays of Sunrise"
and "Sunsets Are Beautiful, Too" are especially
uplifting.
Fest finds that immersion with nature first
thing in the morning sets the tone for the day. It steadies
him, keeps him focused. "I don't get so overwhelmed. I feel
stronger to deal with what comes up in a positive way. It kind
of puts you in touch with the universe, with the big
picture."
Margo Harakas can be reached at
mharakas@sun-sentinel.com or
954-356-4728.
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