10 Ways To Wake With The Dawn Everyday
Spring refreshes hope and rejuvenates youth. As Winnie Foster remarks about the first week of summer, it’s a “strange and breathless time…when people are led to do things they’ve never done before.” Even though Tuck Everlasting embodies the essence of summer, I believe spring’s youthful vivacity blended with the ethereal nature of the forest brings me back to this story every year at the first sign of sunshine and 70 degree weather.
The Plot
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the story, Tuck Everlasting originated as a children’s book by Natalie Babbitt. In 2003 Disney released a film adaptation which I liked much better than the book because the protagonist, Winnie, is supposed to be 15 years old instead of 10, which feels much more appropriate given the romantic subplot.
In the midst of the Edwardian Era, a young girl ventures beyond the confines of her sheltered existence, embarking on a clandestine journey into her parents’ forbidden woods. Little does she anticipate encountering a mysterious teen, with impeccably shaggy hair, harboring a secret amidst the dense trees. Jesse, the male protagonist, and his family accidentally stumbled upon a Fountain of Youth within the woods while passing through nearly a century ago. Since then, time doesn’t exist for the Tuck family. They are no longer part of the natural way of life for most people and have been hiding in a cabin in the woods.
Driven by fear of the repercussions that could arise from their secret being exposed, they resort to desperate measures, kidnapping Winnie and keeping her under their watchful guard. Determined to maintain the secrecy surrounding their presence and the mystical spring they protect, they employ persuasive tactics to win Winnie’s trust and ensure her silence. Recognizing the potential danger posed by the revelation of this mysterious and alluring source of power, they go to great lengths to prevent Winnie from sharing any details about the spring, knowing that its discovery could have far-reaching consequences.
For the first time in her short life, Winnie experiences adventure and begins to question what it means to fully live, starting with the first day. It’s still dark when Jesse shakes Winnie awake on her first morning at the Tuck’s place.
“Do you want to see the Eiffel Tower?” he asks. Winnie groggily replies that she will someday, but not that day.
Jesse urges her on, saying, “No, right now. While the day is still ours.” He then leads her to a local cliff that mimics the iconic tower’s 674 stairs to the top.
The day brings many firsts for Winnie, including her first swim and first kiss. His brother Miles finds out and he decides to tell Winnie the shocking truth about the spring. Tuck, their father, also has a talk with her about how living on earth without dying isn’t a subject of envy and has brought his family grief since time moves along without them.
Due to the widespread search for Winnie, the police discover the Tucks and thus they flee to protect the secret, Jesse tries to convince her to drink from the spring once the danger has passed and then spend forever with him. It’s the choice of a lifetime—and then some—but one that Winnie ultimately has to make for herself. In the end, she decides not to be afraid of life or death, but to live fully until her time comes to die.
The Meaning
The final scene where Jesse stumbles upon Winnie’s grave—in the woods surrounded by flowers covering the secret spring—summons more than the tissue box for me. It’s also a sobering reminder of the sanctity and beauty of life and the call to live everyday as if it could be your last.
10 Ways To Fully Live Today
You won’t find anything unattainable for ordinary life on this list. You could find time for many of them on a weekend, or do some of them several times in a week. Even though this list isn’t meant to be a “to do” list or weigh you down with more boxes to check, I think it’s helpful to set clear goals and I hope it gives you inspiration for your own list.
- Scout out your local “Eiffel Tower”
Like Winnie, you may not be able to go to Paris this week, but finding your local legend evokes a certain romanticism that a public spectacle may not be able to surpass. I’m awestruck by a gorge off the side of the road close to where I live. A small creek gurgles by and a wooden bench swing rests by the rushing water that never sleeps. In the night I like to sit out there, feeling the cool humid breeze coming off the water and staring up at the cluster of stars.
- Wake up early enough to witness a sunrise
Even if you’re not a morning person, sunrise—and your favorite cup of coffee—gives plenty of reason for an occasional early alarm. Watching the colors appear and the day come to life may invigorate your morning as well as make you feel less frazzled since you’ll have more time to get ready.
- Release endorphins through exercise
As they’re climbing the “Eiffel Tower” cliff, Winnie grumbles to Jesse, “If I went to the Eiffel tower, I’d use one of those elevators.” Jesse retorts, “Not me. I’d take off my shoes and climb every single stair to the top.”
Sometimes if I’m in my head too much, going for a walk with no destination or skateboarding resets my brain and lifts my spirits. With my heart racing and muscles engaging, I’m rhythmically breathing—and remembering to breathe when I find myself holding my breath while carving around the bend. Riding the adrenal tension between joy and angst, skateboarding feels like meditation and calms my mind while reminding me that I’m alive and sometimes mad as hell.
And it’s okay, because it’s all a part of living.
- Embrace your Maria von Trapp, run through a field of wildflowers
Nothing spells spring and summer like the floral flush of color that adorns the grassy sides of the road. If an open field isn’t available for you, there might be some volunteer wildflowers on the roadside up for grabs. I did this with a friend in Blue Ridge once. We spontaneously stopped the car, hopped out, and waded through tall, snakey grasses to snatch some flowers that looked like Black-Eyed Susans. It was one of the best memories we’ve made together so far and we still talk about it frequently.
- Make a flower crown
Thankfully, Pinterest resurrected this ancient floral accessory. No longer confined as a kid’s birthday party favor or a countercultural craft, a flower crown can be incorporated as a cute and sophisticated part of your everyday wardrobe. Bonus points if you picked or grew the flowers yourself. Consider your wreath as your coronation into simple, authentic living.
- Wear your cottagecore dream dress
Tuck Everlasting draws me into my Edwardian Era. This style of fashion feels innocent and romantic and harkens back to simpler times. Lightweight cotton or linen blouses and lace dresses echo this aesthetic. Recently, I found a creamy tea dress with a braided belt from a local thrift store and I can’t wait to find an excuse to wear it to a gathering with friends. In the meantime, my ordinary life is a good enough reason to free it from the closet.
- Go chasing waterfalls
The Appalachian and Blue Ridge foothills host a treasure trove of mountain paths where only courageous feet dare trod. Thankfully, you don’t have to find them yourself, though, since this Waterfall Map pinned 700+ the state offers.
- Go canoeing or kayaking
Whether you’re a beginner or an expert paddler, the Chattahoochee, Toccoa, and Etowah rivers are excellent spots to put your oars in for a relaxing day on the water. If you don’t own a boat, rentals typically go for around $30 a day.
- Run outside during a rainstorm
Instead of waiting for the rain to stop, go outside. It can feel liberating as you let go of your expectations of what you thought the day would bring and embrace what is.
- Don’t wait for anything or anyone to live your life
“People will do anything not to die and anything not to live their life.” Jesse’s father warns Winnie that when you act like there’s nothing at stake, you lose your place in the circle of life, becoming stuck somewhere between actually living and dying.
Most of us feel an inner longing of what we want life to be like.
We just don’t take the time to self-reflect enough to know what it is—or we do but we spend our entire lives summoning up the courage or quenching the feeling that we could be more. We use “someday” to excuse our lives away. We’ll take the trip next year. Or we’ll be the person we want to be when we find the one we believe will “complete” us. I encourage you now to put aside your encumbrances and join the dance. Life doesn’t wait for anyone and neither should you. The right people and opportunities will be there at the right time, but only if you show up.
Conclusion
Over 20 years have passed since I watched Tuck Everlasting for the first time. Viewing the narrative through the lens of my own life experience gives the message an extra meaning. Am I living the life I wanted at 10 years old? What about 15 or 20? If not, what’s holding me back? What’s holding you back, friend?
Making the most of every day by waking up a little earlier, kayaking the Chattahoochee River, walking to nowhere a little longer just to feel the sunshine on skin long oppressed by heavy winter garments—these seemingly modest life changes steal back time that would otherwise often get frittered away in indecision, social media, anxiety, or too much sleep. At the end of the day, let what the narrator concluded about Winnie Foster ring true of you and me, “You don’t have to live forever, you just have to live. And she did.”
