Do you ever wake up in the morning and think, “Ugh”? If you don’t, then you are clearly a morning person; and if you do, welcome to the club! Like many Americans, I have the perpetual desire to sleep in every day that I can. When this desire is broken by the abruptness of the early morning, I am not a happy camper. Waking up in the morning is generally followed by many hits of the snooze button and slowly, groggily getting out of my nice warm bed that I had just previously been all snuggled up in. I shuffle around for a bit to get my bearings before I have to leave my room to enter the real world. I regret every decision I made to stay up late, and every decision I made that forced me to do something so early. My morning face is not a happy one; I generally look angry. This is understandable: I was sleeping, and now I’m not. How morning people can be so chipper when they wake up is beyond me. Do they not have a comfortable bed? How do they not look grumpy when having to leave their bed? How do they function? Did they train to be a morning person, or is it like a superpower?

Morning people will never understand my desire to sleep past noon on some days. They want to be able to enjoy the whole day. I get that, I do; but if you want me to be happy for the rest of the day, let me sleep in and please don’t wake me. I wasn’t meant for early mornings.

Now don’t get me wrong, mornings are great. The sun is rising, the birds are chirping, the air is fresh, and you have the whole day ahead of you. There’s nothing wrong with mornings, except that they come too early. If I am ever awake and out of bed before 10:30 a.m., it’s generally because it’s mandatory and I have to be (i.e., classes or work) or I want to do something fun, but it has to start early (i.e., hiking). When having to wake up early, some form of caffeine is needed, and the promise of a nap later on in the day is what pushes me through.

Now, not being a morning person isn’t a bad thing in the slightest. Sure, being able to function in the morning would be extremely helpful in life, but I’ve made it this far without it, and I’d say I’m doing pretty well, with just a few yawns here and there. Just remember, we’re all meant for different things. Some people are able to function early, while others need time to adjust.

I’ve tried mornings, I really have. I’ve gotten up early for school or other activities several years in a row now, but once I’m no longer responsible for something, I’m out. That bed is too comfortable to leave. Sure, I’ll leave it after I get the right amount of beauty rest, but until then, don’t wake Sleeping Beauty!