Morning!!

Are you a morning person? Do you wake up ready and raring to face the day or are you a little slower off the mark? Does the alarm clock annoy you to the point of wanting to throw it out the window? From the time you wake up, how long does it take you to feel that you are ready to face the world?

Mornings can be rough. When I was growing up, I always hated mornings. It wasn't that I'd been up late or hadn't gotten a decent sleep, it just took me a while to feel somewhat human and social after I woke up.

Mom would call me about 7:00 and again about 5-10 minutes later to make sure I was actually awake and starting to get ready for school. I wasn't much of a conversationalist in the mornings. As I passed through the kitchen on the way to the bathroom, mom and dad would make some comment along the lines of; "well, it's moving, but is it awake?". I was semi-conscious and working on autopilot. I'd say g'morning on the way back, but I just wasn't awake enough to really communicate. I needed that time to let the cobwebs disappear and mentally prepare for the day ahead.

I remember a religious retreat that I was on, in my late teens. I came downstairs one morning and Rev (our pastor's nickname) was sitting at a table having a cup of coffee before we all gathered for breakfast. He looked at me and said; "Is it 'good morning Lord' or 'good Lord, it's morning?" I attempted a half smile, but managed to hold up two fingers to indicate the second. He just laughed as I kept walking towards the showers.

When I was living in a dorm, I shared a room with two other girls. One of the roommates, used to drive me crazy as she was an early riser and practically jumped out of bed the second the alarm went off. She would start humming and/or singing to herself within a minute or so! My roommate was a very nice person, but she just didn't get that everyone didn't wake up happy with a song in their heart. My other roommate and I, finally convinced her that she needed to cool it until we were ALL more awake or it was going to be a very long and difficult year. I've had other roommates over the years and shared apartments, but no one drove me as crazy as she did in the mornings!

It's been years since I have lived with anyone and that is both good and bad. You don't have to deal with someone elses morning quirks - and God forgive them if they are a perky morning person 'cause I may well want to kill them! On the other hand, it would be really nice to wake up with someone beside you who understands you and accepts that you need that bit of time to get your brain and body to move somewhat coherently. Even better if they are of a similar ilk.

In my younger years, I could be a bit of a night owl - especially if I didn't have to get up too early, but I also knew how much I needed a good nights sleep to function semi decently the following day so really did try to pace myself. As I have aged, the night owl affect is still there at times, but it is a lot harder on the old system!

For years, I woke up to the buzz or ringing of an alarm clock. I hated that sound. It jarred you into consciousness rather than gently awakening you from a peaceful slumber. I would turn it off and turn the radio on softly, then gradually increase the volume as I woke up. I started using a clock radio in the late 1970's and that did help a lot. It wasn't as much of a shock to the system as the old wind up clocks. Waking up to music is much easier than an alarm.

Surprisingly, I actually got to the point, where I could wake up on my own about two to three minutes before the radio would go on. I was actually able to more or less stop using an alarm clock. If I had a very early appointment, I'd set it to be on the safe side, but rarely needed it. Even though I wasn't punching a time clock, I was still taking various meds and so tried to keep them on a regular schedule.

Over the years, I have gotten better at mornings. I still have my days that I just don't want to even get out of bed, let alone face the world, but as long as I am not rushed - then I am fine. Living by myself does have it's advantages, as I don't have to actually talk to anyone until I step out of my apartment or use the phone. It's not that I am anti-social - I just like having that quiet time to let my body and mind wake up naturally.

So, if you see me some morning and I don't seem quite as chipper or social as I usually am, don't worry - it probably isn't you. It's more likely that I just need a little more time to wake up or a cat nap!

dn