Saturday, November 04, 2006

Sunday Scribblings: morning


Some call themselves morning people. I’m one of them.

Is it genetic? Based on what I know of my four sisters, I’d say no. Then is it environmental? Again, for the same reason, doesn’t seem so. Is it tied to a general tendency towards optimism? Unscientific perhaps, but it makes sense to me.

There have been few mornings of my life that I haven’t woken up with some sense of newness and potential. It’s a fresh start every day and the time seems to stand out ahead of me full of possibilities.

There’s something delightful about the solitude, the “all mine” moments. There’s space to expand silently into and see what comes.

I make a list, lining up my selections, mapping out what I’ll make of the day, who I’ll be. It’s the luxury of choice that attracts me, the wide spectrum of ingredients, like a dark morning sky still full of stars. It’s creation…choosing elements to draw together into a new and fresh combination…like selecting spices for a soup…or colors for a painting…or yarns for a pair of socks…attitudes for a day.

I smile remembering my father waking me at 515a (at my request) when he headed to the barn to milk his Holsteins. I’d come downstairs in my pajamas, collect my books and sit down at the dining room table to do my homework. This was my choice. My mind was fresh, the house was quiet, and when I set out for school, my work was clear to me, not skinned over by a night of sleep.

Lifelong habits. These days, I’m far removed from the farm, but I often wake up at 4 and rarely later than 6. I’m alert and ready to begin. I still prefer tackling a project first thing whether it’s writing this piece, making something in my workroom, doing the laundry or just catching an early bus to get to my office while it’s still quiet.

Morning is for me and I am for morning.

5 comments:

Inconsequential said...

cool.

:)

paris parfait said...

Nice post and photograph - I'm not a morning person, but once when I worked for an afternoon newspaper, I had to get up at 5 a.m. every day. After about a week it was fine. So I think routines are probably whatever one becomes accustomed to - although I'm a night owl at heart.

Annie Jeffries said...

I'm a complete morning person and what you say makes a lot of sense to me.

DJPare said...

I'm sure you are a nice person, but I'm glad I don't live with you... :) I am definitely NOT a morning person.

twilightspider said...

I consider myself a morning person, but you've stated your reasons and routines so elegantly that I really think I must have some catching up to do! I really loved your description of the possibilities you see in the morning - wonderful comparisons.