Going to sleep is one of my favorite things. I am a morning person. To me, nothing beats getting up at 4:30/5:00 – even on the weekend. The world is still asleep. There are no phone calls, emails coming through, other people awake (well, maybe my husband).

My mind usually starts to race, but in a good way, once I sit down at my desk with my cup of coffee. I sit in front of the infrared space heater. The wooden chair adjacent to it holds a few of my reference books: a Bible commentary and maybe a Bible dictionary. It holds my dog’s brush as well. He sometimes is a morning person as well and after going out and after eating his breakfast, he’ll mosey into my office for a butt scratch/brushing and will then plop down under the desk (I call it his fort). He goes on snoozing. I

I try to read a Proverb or some N.T. Wright – anything to help me in my day or to help me sort through what it is I believe. And I spend a few minutes in prayer. My prayers are often on repeat – hopefully God does not tire of them. I think of old friends who might vaguely remember me – I pray for their marriages and their kids. And I pray for my boss and other people in leadership. I don’t envy them. They’ve probably been up long before me – to the tone of phone calls and emails. And I pray for co-workers. I also try to give thanks for specific things I am grateful for. 

My mind rushes off: typically to what the day’s work out will be: a long run? A bike ride? Full body weights? Upper? I should stretch….

I think about chores to be done, which I actually look forward to. Washing dishes. Sweeping. Laundry. In the summer, mowing the lawn, though it can be a bit time consuming. 

I think about my dog and taking him to a park / some adventurous place (if it’s the weekend).

I plan the day. Work – I want to be a good employee. 

Being a morning person allows me to get my work out done early, often before the world is up. It’s like taking my medicine.

The downside of being a morning person: it makes for a non-existent social life. Don’t ask me to do anything/be anywhere past 6 pm. That’s wind-down time. As the sun fades (especially in fall and winter), I begin to fade. Then I feel drugged. Especially around the holidays. After dinner and a hot bath, I like to be in bed around 8:15. In the summer, the sun is still coming through the windows, but that doesn’t stop me. I lie in bed with double pillows under my head and read something, typically fiction, by the flashlight of my cell phone. Then I’m out. 

I sometimes wish more social gatherings were in the mornings. This is one reason I love racing (running). The large majority of races are at 7:30/8:00 am. That’s what I’m talkin’ about. 

Another pro of being a morning person, noted by my old pastor, is that it keeps one out of trouble: “Nothing good goes on after 9:00 at night.” As I’ve gotten older, I see that he was right. 

Good night. ~