Morning

Is it morning already? Where did the night go? I think I just fell asleep a few minutes ago. Ugh. I must get up and face the frantic panic of getting three kids dressed, fed, and ready to go to school, as well as getting myself ready for work. Luckily the oldest gets herself up and out the door before us. It's always a race to see if we can make it on time! On your mark, get ready...

Oh No! It can't possibly be morning! I just want to lie here beneath the cool sheets and cozy comforter, burrowed in the warmth of my own body. But I'm awakened by slivers of sunlight slanting through the blinds. Maybe if I curl up just a little more, close my eyes again, and wish really hard, morning will wait another hour for me. No such luck. There's the alarm clock screaming for me to get up. It's definitely morning.

Ah, the joys of morning. The rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafting through the air. The sizzle of crisp bacon frying in a pan. The lustrous colors of a tangerine sunrise. The sweet music of chirping birds in the air. A new beginning. Sounds grand, doesn't it? If you like that sort of thing.

What is a morning person? It's hard to define, but I know I am not one. My dad was. My husband is. But what, really, does that mean? Does that somehow define the rest of our personalities? My mom is the one who we consider NOT a morning person because you can't talk to her till she's had her coffee. I don't even drink coffee! But I'm still not a morning person. It's not as though I growl or grouch at anyone in the morning. I guess I just don't get enough sleep. Can a night owl become a morning person? Temporarily, perhaps, when there are newborns or very young children in the home. Will I always NOT be a morning person? Maybe. My definition is this... I have so much to do, and the only time I have with peace and quiet away from my family is the late night, so for me, morning is when I'd rather sleep.

Early morning on the road... a peaceful time, really. Cool, crisp morning air. Little to no traffic on the highways yet. Sun just barely peeking over the horizon, not yet warming things up. It's a safe, quiet time out here. Leaves the mind clear just to enjoy the atmosphere. You can cover a lot of ground out on the road in the morning, in more ways than one.

It's a zoo out here on the Interstate this morning! People trying to get to work to clock in on time and keep the boss happy, weaving in and out of lanes thinking that a lane change will get them there just one minute faster. Men situating their ties in the mirror just before they get to the office to impress their next clients. Women making up their faces in the rearview mirror, risking an accident to apply another layer of mascara and lipstick. Lawyers practicing their closing or opening remarks to an audience of none. Various morning radio hosts yelping from the car radios. Intersections jammed with people trying to buy the morning paper before they get into town, giving the poor soul on the side of the street a buck per copy. That poor soul is probably the luckiest of us all. The crisp night air already polluted with exhaust. The blaring honking as cars barely move bumper to bumper on their way downtown. It's just another morning in the city.

Morning again? Just five more minutes, please!