Are you a morning person, or a night owl?
Yes!
It is somewhat amazing and a little bit scary the things that you learn about yourself when you take the time to ponder such a seemingly simple and straightforward question. My instinctive answer is that I am both. In trying to reconcile that somewhat oxymoronic state of being, I learned some things about my own discipline and routines as well as my attitudes toward them.
On the surface, I have to be both a morning person and a night owl to get done first those things that I have to do and then those that I want to do. In an ideal world, I would not need sleep and would have a full twenty four hours in every day to accomplish all of the tasks before me. Sadly, this is not my world; I need sleep, perhaps even more sleep than most people. Do I get enough sleep? No. Am I doing anything consciously to remedy that situation? No. But, I have had a wicked cold or something for the past week that has forced me to get more rest than I normally do. I'm sure there is a lesson in that somewhere. LOL.
So, back to morning person or night owl...
My husband is going to call me a liar when he reads this, but I am going to say that I am a morning person; but admittedly, that statement comes with a serious caveat. I am a morning person IF there is no external structure imposed on my morning process. If I don't HAVE to be up at a certain time, prepare meals, get dressed and out of the house, then I am happy to get up and be a part of the day's unfolding rhythm. I want to awaken as gently as the sun does, slowly opening my eyes and my spirit to newness and possibilities that each new day brings.
My most creative self flourishes in the quiet calm of the morning. This is the part of me that is free to think and wonder and imagine and dream. It is the part of me that has eluded my inner critic, who is apparently not a morning person. So, if i get up early, I can accomplish many things before she meets the day and me and talks me down from my dreams.
One of my favorite things to do in the morning is to write. I always start my days with morning pages. This writing, for me, is the gateway to the more creative endeavors - blog posts, poetry, essays, even a few stories here and there...as long as I am not bothered by anyone or anything. The key here is for me to not get derailed by structure. This is the time of day where I go off in my own little world, a world that really does revolve around me. You may be wondering how often a total escape to this place happens...unfortunately, not often enough. Work, especially two days of a 7:30am class, and church choir on Sunday mornings make for a life totally driven by external structure. See, it is not my fault that I am perceived as not being a morning person; it is the world conspiring against the needs of my innermost being. LOL!
Which brings me to the night owl part...
Honestly, I am a night owl by necessity. Late at night is when I DO things. I clean. I cook. I do laundry. I grade papers. I practice the piano. I process photos. By nighttime, my brain is tired. Most of the things that I do at night are routine. They don't require creative energy. As long as I have a concrete task to accomplish, I can and will see it through, even if that means staying up into the wee hours of the night. I am just not generative during the nighttime hours, probably because my inner critic is now wide awake and, by late in the day, has gathered a whole bunch of fodder on which to feed!
Someday I will retire and will have the luxury of finding and living the daily rhythm that truly works best for my body and spirit. Maybe I'll become a real morning person, or perhaps a hardcore night owl. Who knows? Until then, I'll rise early, do what I can before the grip of the world's demands take hold, and on my way out the door check the oil pot to make sure that it is filled so that I can burn the midnight oil when I get home.
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