“Why are you up so early?”
“Just go back to sleep!”
"How are you functioning right now?”
Being what you would call a “morning person,” I tend to hear these things a lot. The issue? They all suggest my sleeping habits need explaining or fixing.
I’m awake and fully functional for hours before most friends and family. I know that many people my age would rather sleep in on a Saturday, but that has never quite worked for me (trust me, I’ve tried). I completely get why people love the night. I really do. So why is it so crazy that I love the morning?
Once I am awake, I am starting my day. I don’t want to sleep in. I couldn’t fall back to sleep if I tried. The clock reads 8 a.m. and my mind is already filled with all that I want to accomplish. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and everything seems new. There’s a sense of tranquility in the morning that I simply do not experience any other time of the day. It’s this span of a few hours in which I feel most productive. I can read the paper at my leisure, and maybe tend to a few chores that I’ve been putting off. Going for a run no longer feels like a chore, and that paper deadline suddenly doesn’t seem so daunting. I have a hot cup of coffee, a bad case of bed-head, and the whole entire day to look forward to.
On the very rare occasion that sleep deprivation takes hold and I somehow sleep until 12 p.m., I feel like the day has been wasted. Where did the morning go? Suddenly it’s the afternoon and I’ve lost valuable time spent unconscious. I cannot even begin to describe the sheer disappointment of missing breakfast time. (Where’s my BEC with SPK?)
When someone asks me why I am up so early, I wish I could give him or her a suitable response. I don’t know why I feel so much more content when I wake up, as opposed to when I am about to sleep. Why do we, as people, prefer one thing over another? Like anything else, I simply enjoy it more.
The night is when I feel most restless. It’s when I’m struggling to keep my eyes open while doing an outrageously long reading for class that was assigned today, and due tomorrow. It's when all the trivial concerns of daily life flood my mind all at once. It's when the worrying starts.
The morning represents a chance at a do over. Maybe yesterday wasn’t such a great day. It may have been riddled with mistakes and regrets. I didn’t feel like myself, I didn’t do anything I enjoyed, or I behaved in a way I’m not proud of. None of that matters now because I’m going to do today differently. I’m going to fix those mistakes. I’m going to be the best I can be. The issue that was once so dismal yesterday is now entirely manageable. I see the rest of the day spread out in front of me, and I’m ready to see what it holds.
There is simply something remarkable about the morning. Maybe it's hope.
So set your alarm for a little earlier tomorrow, and see how you like it.
