Past due confessions

Kentucky Sunrise a couple years ago

Multiple events are pointing to the undeniable fact that I may have become....dare I say it: a morning person! I cringe at the thought, I have lived so much of my life hating mornings. Yet, the facts are undeniable. Yesterday morning I showed up at the gym early. It was Saturday. The gym doesn't open until 10am. I mean seriously, who get's up early on a SATURDAY to go to the gym? Evidently, I do. Eeek! Second fact: I have a good friend here who has begun to refer to me as an, "early riser." She has even admitted to not calling me late at night for fear I was already in bed in preparation for my said: early rising. Additional confirmation has come through the repeated lamenting of the fact that there are no coffee shops here that open at 6 or 7am. I have repeatedly desired to go work on some language homework, read my Bible, journal, etc. while enjoying my favorite espresso drink, an Americano. Evidently my drink is not the only "American" preference I have, since I have yet to find a coffee shop with decent coffee that opens at or before sunrise. 

I requested a Sunrise service on Easter
which also happened to be my birthday!

Now, before we go further let's clarify that I love staying up late and generally do so. It is incredibly rare for me to get to bed before 11:30pm. I also still despise the act of waking up each morning. I pretty much dislike all of it: 

 - forcing my mind out of the foggy dream world and into reality

 - peeling open eyes that have nearly crusted shut from hours of blissful slumber

 - hitting the snooze button over and over after that horrid sound 

 - internal debates about getting up or changing the alarm for another hour of sleep

 - finally throwing off the covers and slapping feet against cold floor in one fluid motion so that I can't change my mind halfway through

 - rapidly blinking eyes against morning light



So, it's obvious that I'm not one of those peppy people who pop out of bed with a smile and joyful words flowing from their lips. However, once I make it past the desperate need to pee & brush the morning breath out of my mouth I'm remarkably glad to be awake. I enjoy those quiet morning moments. I like heading straight out to run or to the gym in the mornings. Then I like the time I spend on my yoga mat with my Bible spread open between straddle stretched legs. I enjoy setting quiet music playing while I start the coffee and pour a bowl of cereal. I love the swift stroke of pen against journal as I pour out my heart and prayers on paper.

Bible & Journal time

I also still have a bit of what my mom used to call the: "zombi stage." As a child the zombi stage referred to the first hour I was awake each morning. During said hour, I didn't talk, eat, get ready, or really do anything. Once the hour is up I was usually able to rouse out of my zombi stage and start getting ready for my day. However, if someone tried to force me through my needed wake-up time too fast, things got ugly. Thankfully, I have grown out of this...a bit. I still prefer my morning time to have as little verbal interaction as possible. 

 Sunrise in Kentucky

In the end, my days are significantly better when I wake up around 6:30 or 7:00am. Waking up early usually guarantees my time for exercise, Bible, & prayer time with Jesus; all three are incredibly important for my sanity.

So, obviously I am past due to confess that I am indeed a morning person. Although, I'd still claim special clarifications of this title and I'm not ready to let go of my night owl tendencies.

 snapped this pic with my ipod on a morning run in Oradea, RO