Monday, November 8, 2010

All in the timing

As those of you who know me know, mornings are not my favorite. From the time I yelled at my friends when they gave me wake-up happy birthday call in high school to my menacing grumbles at college roommates to a thousand other groanings and moanings, I have never been the sort of person who rises eagerly to welcome the day. Historically, I've risen at the last moment possible, stumbled blearily to the shower if I was in a morning-shower phase, checked my email with watery eyes, and ran to catch the train. My most favorite/most dreaded moments were when I'd wake up, see that the alarm wasn't set to go off for another hour/fifteen minutes/three minutes, and gratefully go back to sleep.

But what if life didn't have to be this way? What if I actually got up when I woke up? For the last, oh, month or so, I've been trying this. And I've discovered that consistency is in fact a hobgoblin, that random unpredictable wanderings are infinitely more satisfying. Though I still groan at waking up, I wonder: what can I do before work today? Walking across the bridge to work is a frequent favorite (though I want to make sure not to overdo it and take away the specialness). I have also walked my beautiful fall neighborhood, made friends with my new local coffee bars, gone to Penn Station to pick up train tickets (amazing how there's no line when all the commuters are streaming the other way), hit up Blue Sky Bakery for delicious muffins (pumpkin cranberry cream cheese springs to mind)...the list goes on. Today I went to Bean & Bean way down at the tip of Manhattan for a caramel apple latte, which is delicious. I got a seat on the Q train for most of my ride, switched smoothly to the R at Dekalb, and over the course of half an hour picked up my beverage and walked leisurely to work. Where it's still not even 9 yet.

And so I think mornings may function best as a sort of walking adventure, maybe a treasure hunt. There are more drinks I want to try; there are more streets I will wander when the same two blocks to the subway get me down.

How about you, dear readers? How do you deal with early times, if you do? I wish you good morning.

4 comments:

  1. Come to Europe, where 11:00 a.m. Sunday concerts are a usual thing. Usually I'm OK in the morning but Sundays, not so much. I really haven't gotten used to them and never feel quite awake until the second half. They're good for people who feel like they should be worshiping something on Sunday morning but don't want to go to church, though.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is very inspirational little miss. Have you noticed that the world conspires against early rising, though? None of my local coffee shops open before 8...or even 8:30...so if you want coffee *before* the train too bad.
    Perhaps I should apply this treasure hunt mentality to my mornings--or my whole days...

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have! Luckily, some of the ones here seem to do 7. I am working to apply the treasure hunt mentality to the rest of the day, but no results as yet.

    ReplyDelete