Early Risers

As a teenager and young woman, I was a night owl. I stayed up every night to watch the eleven o'clock news and then Johnny Carson. I made fun of my mother who went to bed before 9:00 pm if she could. How times have changed. I am now an early to bed, early to rise person and envious of people who live on the west coast because they can stay awake long enough to watch an entire Monday Night football game and they don't walk around groggy the next day. That goes for any show that starts after 9:00 pm on the east coast...the Academy Awards, the Emmys, political debates and movies.

Today I'm undeniably a morning person. I get up between 4300 and 6:00 AM and usually am the only one awake in our household at that time. I luxuriate in the peaceful silence. No jarring telephone rings, no bells, chirps or train whistles coming from my cell phone, signaling a text or e mail. There is only quiet and the comforting sound, and delicious smell of the coffee brewing. I wrap myself in a cozy bathrobe and sit at the kitchen table, watching the ever-changing ocean, the sea gulls flying in precisian over the beach and waiting for the always magnificent sun rise. The sky lights up with splashes of brilliant oranges, pinks and golds. It's such a glorious time before the discordant sounds of daily life interrupt.

I have friends that are early risers too. They tell me that they use the first hours of their days to read their bibles or meditate. Some do yoga poses or a stretching routine. Many others head to the gym to exercise. Since I'm an “A” type personality and rarely sit still, it's my only quiet time. I'm usually multi-tasking and planning the next hour's activities. As soon as I hear traffic noises in the street or see people heading to the pool or beach for their morning workout, the peaceful spell is broken. Real life begins...but for those precious minutes, sometimes even an hour, when I feel like I am the only person in the world awake, I feel refreshed, restored and grateful for a new day. That's when I do my best writing and thinking. My creative juices flow and my ideas begin to crystalize.

When I hear the newspaper hitting the front door, I actually sigh. While I look forward to reading it every morning, its daily arrival signals the end of my quiet time. Good Morning America and The Today Show are about to begin broadcasting and spreading anxiety (rarely good news) about what's happening in the world overnight. My serenity is gone. I take one last, satisfying sip of my coffee and the rat race begins.

There have been many famous early risers throughout history. Apple CEO, Tim Cook wakes up at 4:00 am. Michelle Obama is said to rise at 4:30 every morning. Benjamin Franklin, one of our founding fathers was an early riser and said, “The early morning has gold in its mouth.” Rachel Ray, Condoleezza Rice, George Bush Senior, Napoleon and Ernest Hemingway were also up before dawn. The author, John Grisham gets up with the sun to write. Others folk who are up and about before dawn are Sir Richard Branson, Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo. Jack Dorsey, Twitter CEO, is out for his daily jog by 5:30 am. So, I guess I am in good company.

May your mornings be peaceful.

Until my next inspiration...ciao.

Sunrise Photo by Jessica Ruscello on Unsplash 

Yoga Pose Photo by Jared Rice on Unsplash