Years ago, we used to watch a show on TV called "Sunrise Earth." We'd put it on while we were sleepily moving about our morning routine, getting dressed and eating breakfast. It never failed to help us get centered and grounded and focused on the day ahead.

Well, it wasn't long until Dora the Explorer replaced Sunrise Earth in our household, and now of course our teenagers either sleep right up until they simply MUST get out of bed, or just look at something on their computers until it's time to go. So much for centered and grounded.

However now that I'm out of school, I have been trying to implement a new routine, which is to get dressed and out of the house early (early is never a problem; the hens wake us up at 5:45. Who needs a rooster?) and out into the hills before it gets hot. This definitely helps me all through the day, in so many ways.

This video is my attempt at a homemade Sunrise Earth. It's nowhere near, of course: I use my iPhone and the sounds are so overwhelming - the wind (the first minute of the video is very windy!), an airplane above, the whine of traffic on the 680 freeway which is never far from our ears, even if we're miles from it. But maybe you're sitting in your office having a sad desk lunch and you need a little nature to make the afternoon bearable. My humble hope is that this video will take you away from work stress, and into the hills with me, for four minutes.