My
favorite time of day is the morning. Morning means new,
morning means fresh start. Things that seemed horrible the
night before don't look so bad after a good night's sleep.
There is a magical sliver of the day called the crack of
dawn. Most people refer to it in the negative sense, thinking
that only monks and the Amish are crazy enough to rise before
the sun comes up. Monks and the Amish also happen to be
examples of highly disciplined people, and personal discipline
is something I'm always trying to increase. I look at this
time as a healthy challenge, not a punishment.
My
mental battery is charged during sleep, and I've found that
it works best if it's put to use immediately upon waking.
For this reason I try to plan my day the night before so
that I can apply myself most efficiently to whatever project
needs tackling the next day. Unfortunately, I've also got
a short attention span. Unless a grab the day by its throat
first thing, I end up using my newly charged mind for menial
tasks such as paying bills or reading random, meaningless
texts like nutrition labels or fashion magazines.
Too
may times have I gone to bed at night with every intention
of completing a major task or even going out to catch the
first cup of coffee poured at an early bird diner, only
to wake up and fritter away a good part of the morning.
After this has happened, my day is a lost cause. Once my
morning has been wasted I can't seem to recapture the day.
Much
better to slap the alarm clock back into its own slumber,
leap into the shower, get dressed quickly, and take off
on a hike or drive. Then - when I'm miles from home hours
before the naysayers hit the snooze button for the third
time - then, does my day begin.
A
Counter-Viewpoint, by Heather Schlegel
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