Monday, May 2, 2011

My Favorite Time of Day

My favorite hours of the day are those before eight am.  Now don't get huffy if you're not a morning person.  I can't help it that between six (when my alarm goes off and the coffee maker goes on) and eight (when my children get up) is when my mind is most clear and I can make sense of life.  If I want to accomplish something worthwhile it is best started before eight. 
I think this is hereditary because I come from a long line of relatives who define sleeping in as getting up after seven.  Most of my friends including my husband are not early birds and so all the joy that could be shared in those early morning hours has to be kept to myself.
  When I was younger I thought I might outgrow this strange attraction to the early sunrise, but alas it has gotten worse.  If anything I wake up earlier than ever--sometimes a full forty-five minutes before my alarm. Most of the time when this happens I lay there with my eyes pinched shut and pretend that I'm still sleeping.
 
I've found that as a mother being a "morning person" has many advantages:

If I haven't tidied the house before I went to bed it can be done in the morning with a cup of coffee in one hand.

Morning is an excellent time for me to read my Bible and pray--there is no one to interrupt me.

I often start a load or two of laundry and by the time the sun comes up I can hang them on the line.

There are a few disadvantages:

When we are traveling and my husband (NOT a morning person) wishes to drive thru the night I am not very adept at keeping him awake. (he insists that snoring from the passenger seat doesn't work)

If we have company and they stay past ten, I become incoherent and the brunt of many jokes over stupid things I mutter in my half-awake state.

I've concluded that being a morning person is something about myself that I cannot change so I try to use it to my greatest advantage.  Also, it helps to laugh with people (night hawks) who enjoy cracking jokes at my expense.
What's your favorite time of day?