The Early Bird Gets Way More Than The Worm
05/20/2010
I would make a good farmer.
Although I’ve never seriously considered it a career option, I have at least part of the trade mastered: I am an early riser. I’m not talking crawl out of bed at 7:45 a.m., linger in a bathrobe, sip coffee until 9 a.m. and then consider a shower and the day’s itinerary. I’m an extreme early riser, as in up and at ‘em between 4:30 and 4:45 a.m. Sleeping in means 6 a.m.
Once following surgery I slept until 10 a.m. Meds were involved.
Getting up pre-dawn is part of my DNA. I’ve done it my entire life. I love it. It’s the best-kept secret.
The early bird gets…
- The first hot shower.
- Satisfaction in keeping pace with the East Coast.
- Silence.
- The laundry done before breakfast.
- The pick of cardio machines and weights, plus room to stretch.
- A Starbucks barista at the top of her game.
- To see wildlife before humans interrupt. (Recent sightings include a coyote and peacock.)
- Quiet time to read and write.
- The freshest produce. (Grocery stores stock in the wee hours.)
- No line when paying for said produce.
- An easy, breezy drive to wherever.
- The best parking spot.
- To listen to BBC. (Can’t get enough of those accents!)
- An amazing feeling when the to-do list is done by 8:30 a.m.
- The calm that comes from never feeling rushed.
- To see the sun come up.
- Confirmation that Las Vegas does sleep. (You could walk down the middle lane of the Strip safely at 5 a.m.)
- The entire day to just…ahhhh…enjoy.
- To wonder if she could really make it as a farmer.
- The worm.
When you sleep until noon on Sunday, isn’t getting up for work on Monday a nightmare? When you lay around, don’t you just want to lay around more? I’m a firm believer that excess sleep is a waste of time. We need what we need, and then we should get up and move on with it. Sleeping shouldn’t be a hobby, pastime or excuse for not (insert excuse). Less is fabulous once your batteries are recharged.
Do you agree? Disagree? Want to sneak that worm into my plate of pasta? Let’s talk. Share your comments or add to my list if you are a fellow early birdie!
05/20/2010 at 5:39 pm
In my younger days i LOVED to sleep in. But when my kids were growing up I learned that getting up early (4:30-5:00) gave me at least an hour to wake up peacefully with my coffee and a crossword puzzle and then get stuff done before everyone started waking up. It really put me in a good place to deal with getting everyone out the door on time and in good shape. I love being up early – especially this time of year when I can sit outside and enjoy the beauty of the sun rising on the mountains, and everything is so green and the flowers are blooming… (achoo).
But it never occurred to me to go to the grocery store that early! I am intrigued and plan to give that a try next week! (I do really hate to shop in the late afternoon when everyone is just getting off work and bringing their kids on the way home from daycare and everyone is stressed – ugh).
And I finally tried your paper bag in the microwave popcorn today – it was fabulous! Didn’t use pepper though. I’ll try it with pepper another day, just wasn’t in the mood for it today. But that is so EASY and delicious. My daughter loved it too! Great snack.
05/20/2010 at 5:44 pm
I agree with you in spirit. And I’d love to be an early riser. Unfortunately, I’m a rotten sleeper. I seem to function best on a 7-8am wake up. I’m thinking of seeing if I can slowly move my both bedtime and wake up times earlier this summer. You’re right that people are more productive if they’re early risers.
05/26/2010 at 12:46 am
I used to love to sleep late whenever I could. As I get older I find that I wake up when the light hits the window, no matter what time I went to bed.
The choice, then: Go to bed on time, or be sleepy and cranky the next day. Sometimes I make the right choice.
And have you ever heard it this way: “The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese”?
05/30/2010 at 12:55 pm
Just a caution – for those of us with chronic illness sleeping less is NOT an option. And most Americans aren’t getting enough sleep as it is. So while it works for some, just be careful of judging those whose story you don’t know.
05/30/2010 at 7:17 pm
Many of the things on your list that are valuable to me are also available at midnight.
There *is* something satisfying about getting up early and getting a big chunk of to-do list done before 10, but it is difficult for me to go to bed (and fall asleep!) early enough to wake up early and feel refreshed. I did the “go to bed and wake up at the same time every day” thing for a while, and it did set my body clock pretty well after 2 or 3 weeks, but one evening out made it all disappear. Too much work.
Also, many of the activities that I enjoy are only available in the evenings. I play in a community band. I take dance classes. Both end at 9 p.m. No way I’m getting up at 4:30 the next day!
I’m not a big fan of laying around unless I’ve been overworked for a long time because yes, laying around just makes you want to lay around more. But sleeping until 10 is not necessarily the same as laying around, especially if you didn’t go to bed until 2.
06/09/2010 at 3:50 pm
I think I agree, but I don’t know if I can ever be a morning person. It’s really hard now since I haven’t been working since the new year. I will sometimes go to bed just as it starts getting light out! I guess when you live alone and only have cats, you aren’t as motivated to get up. I could definitely benefit from getting up earlier, like maybe 8am.
06/11/2010 at 10:57 am
Take it in small steps. If your ultimate goal is to get up at 7 a.m. each day, start by getting up at 8, then 7:50, 7:40, 7:30…you get it. Before you know it you’ll have your body programmed to wake up before the sun (or the cats!).