PERSONAL: Morning Person, Night Owl

I’m a bit of an odd duck, in that I love nothing better than to stay up all night writing, and yet at my heart, I’m a morning person. I love watching the sun rise, coffee in hand, even though on a typical day I can barely drag myself out of bed before noon*. There’s something really special about being up early, tossing off a blog instead of rushing to get ready for the day. Pressing pause.

I usually experience the morning as the ending to an all-nighter, if anything. Sometimes that can be nice. The summer before I started university, knowing it was my last chance for a long time, if ever, I lived during the night. I’d wake up at dinnertime, enjoy the meal with my family, watch TV or read all night, and then cap off my day by watching the sun rise at the local Tim Horton’s with a coffee and a book. Then I’d grab my mum some wild flowers on my trek back and sleep it off. That summer is one of my greatest memories. A gentle hedonism, burying myself in both my beloved quiet night and the reverent silence of a beautiful morning. I loved it.

Now my time is so precious, I spend it running around trying to get things done. Even on my days off, seeing the early morning is a rare treat for me. A delicacy rewarding the discipline it takes to get out of bed when I’m unused to awakening so early. I love being so busy, so inspired, but at the same time it’s important to remember to take a moment to just enjoy what I have.

* I’ve worked evenings for the past four years, so between that, afternoon classes and a healthy appetite for all-night writing sessions, I’ve developed a routine of rarely getting out of bed before 2pm. 

About these ads