M is for Mornings

I don’t do mornings. I never have.  My father would pick me up from my bed and carry me to the breakfast table. My eyes would pop open to a plate of soft-boiled eggs, toast, and bacon. My siblings and parents would be engaged in animated conversations while silverware clanged away. The noise level was irritating, as I sat in silence anxiously waiting for the time when my father would go off to work and I could leave the table.  I was often the recipient of endless teasing; I have since learned this morning ritual was passed down from generation to generation. Attack the least awake person.

I survived, but have since learned that there really is a difference between being a morning or night person. Fortunately, this has nothing to do with the actual time you wake up, but rather what you can and can not tolerate at different times throughout your day.  Eating for example. I can not tolerate solid food within a few hours of waking up. Didn’t matter if I was working the night shift and woke up at 3pm, or the early shift and woke at 5am. Conversation is also distasteful first thing in the morning. Give me 30 or so minutes to wake up before expecting me to communicate verbally.

My daughter is also a night person and has been since the day she was born. Mornings became challenging when she started school. She didn’t eat in the morning, so we would walk to the bus stop, me begging her to take one more sip of a protein shake. I felt like the worse mom ever. More times than I can count, her lunch was packed with cereal.

Late in the day,  I’m literally a different person. I’m a creative, sharp-witted, let’s go do something gal. So, I save my afternoons for stuff I like to do and spend my mornings doing the mundane day-to-day chores I find so painful. Hey, if it works, why not?

I often wish that some professionals would adapt to their personal clocks. How nice would it be to have  medical practices that were open from 3pm-11pm. Even lawyers and accountants could jump in and cater to the owls of the world. The morning people wouldn’t even get an appointment cause they make all their business calls before noon. It would be an entire economy dedicated to night people and those that work the night shift.

The important thing is to know which side of the clock you live on. I also suggest being respectful of those who differ from you. Seriously, when talking to a night person, it is best to use your inside quiet voice until given a cue to do otherwise.

I have absolutely no advice for dealing with morning people.