When I first started general practice, I met an elderly neighbour who loved walking in the very early morning. “Best time of the day,” he declared.

I thought he was nuts. Besides, as a busy, harried mother and professional, it was not a time slot available to me.

But as I grew older, I came to understand the magic of that time — as the night sky gives up its black cloak, transforming to a new day.

In solitude, with stars and moon overhead, the whole world seems to belong only to you, until that first subtle brightening, followed by revelations of all that daylight brings. And so, an early morning walk has become my daily routine.