Early Bird Special

           While I used to be an enormous night owl, morning has now become my absolute favorite time of the day. The few hours I have awake when the house is quiet are close to perfection. During the day, everything seems so fast paced and rushed, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But in my head, where everything always seems hustling and bustling, my few hours of quiet morning hour just seem to slow everything down a notch or two. Being up so early, it feels okay to do mindless tasks. I can move my hands slowly and methodically as I cut fruit for my breakfast, and in turn, my mind can slow a bit. I can take a breath, think about the little things, the big things, or think about nothing at all. It's such a release from my normally worried, anxious and busy mind.

            Since I've started being up so early, I have fallen into somewhat of a routine. I wake in my warm bed. When I realize that no more sleep will come to me, I reach for my phone and check my e-mail and Facebook, read my Twitter feed, explore Instagram updates, the important things in life. Then, I figure I've laid in bed enough, and it's time to retreat from my down comforter. So, pulling on baggy, oversized sweatshirt, my feet touch the ground and my day has begun.

            I take my first steps outside my room and into our front hallway and take a deep breath. The silence is beautiful, and I let myself take it in. I make the journey downstairs and open the refrigerator, pulling out sweet fruits of every color, shape, and size. My favorite knife in hand, I slice up strawberries, peaches, plums, bananas, anything. With a sprinkle of blueberries and raspberries, I pour yogurt on top, and breakfast is served.

            Now I sit. Maybe with some soft television in the background, maybe just basking in the silence. And I eat. I try to focus on being relaxed. I let this time be just for me. I don't have to worry about making anyone else happy or entertaining company. It's just me. I can read my book, browse the internet, or simply just eat.

            Once I'm fed, I fill up my waterbottle, and it's time to exercise. If it's a really nice morning, I'll go for a walk outside. But usually, I just take a walk in my climate controlled basement on our treadmill. I walk for a half hour, not an extreme workout or anything, but it wakes me up. It makes me feel ready for the day. It energizes me. It's more time in which I don't have to think, or worry, just be.

            By this time, I usually have another hour or two before the rest of my family is awake. Sometimes I'll go out and do errands, like grocery shop or go to the library. Other times, I'll work on cleaning different sections of my room. I strive to get rid of one garbage bag of junk out of my room every weekend. Maybe I'll use the quiet time to work on writing a blog entry like this one, or researching colleges, or just simply and mindlessly browse Pinterest for delicious sounding recipes or cute outfits.

            It doesn't really matter what I do with this time in the morning. What really matters to me is that it is my time. Don't get me wrong, I always look forward to when the rest of my family is awake too and I get to spend the day with them. There's just something about this early morning time though. It brings me into the day refreshed and relaxed. Before, when I went to bed, I would get a feeling of dread if I knew I had to wake up early. Now, I go to bed, and I think to myself "I get to wake up and have my lovely morning in just a few hours!" Call me elderly, boring, freaking insane, whatever. I'll just take it as a compliment and order the early bird special with a smile on my face.