Oh, What A Beautiful Morning!!

It's 7:25 a.m. and I've been up for an hour and a half. I'm sipping on a cup of coffee, the curtains are open letting in the (somewhat dull) morning light, and periodically I can feel a cool breeze on the back of my neck. Being up at this hour is no easy feat. You see, I could be in bed, blanket thrown over my head with at least another two hours of shut-eye ahead of me, but last night I made a resolution.

I decided that I need to make myself a morning person. It goes back to my Spring/Summer To-Do List. Sure, I've been able to cross off a few items, but Spring is almost over and if I don't get cracking, I'm going to have an awful lot to do come Summer time. I figured that, if I can start organizing my days a little better---get into some kind of routine---it will make the days not only seem longer and more productive, but I'll also feel like I'm living with a bit more sense of purpose.

Now, I've never been a lazy person. In fact, I once asked my spiritual director what the opposite of lazy is and she said "activism." Maybe you share my malady: you're usually rushing around with about ten different items on your to-do list, all of which should have been done yesterday according to your precise calculations and exceptional prioritization skills; the word "vacation" is banished from all your conversations when made in reference to yourself; and, when a holiday is suddenly thrust upon you, you spend it making to-do lists and thinking of all the things you really should be doing instead of putting your feet up! Unhealthy lifestyle? You bet!

Now, you may be wondering why---with this activism problem---I feel the need to be up at such an ungodly hour in order to....um....accomplish some of those undone things on my to-do list. Well, my particular brand of activism seems to be the result of no discipline and little structure. The other day, I stumbled upon Jennifer Bertman's blog, The Mixed-Up Files, which is a neat place to find out about the "creative spaces" of various artists. I was reading Jennifer's account of the children's book illustrator, Johanna Wright (whose work is worth looking into if you have an eye for the whimsical). Johanna outlined what a typical day is like for her and, for an artist-type, it struck me how pedantic it seemed: get up, eat, go to a local coffee shop to brainstorm picture ideas, come home, answer and send emails, paint, run errands, order supplies, paint a bit more....And that's her daily life with slight variations! Reflecting on that made me think of Charles Dickens and William Makepeace Thackeray, both of whom worked as public servants and would wake up early enough to get in some writing before dashing off to work. And what about all those amazing people behind the walls of monasteries, up before the crack of dawn and putting their minds, hearts and souls to the proverbial plow while most of us are turning over in bed or hitting the snooze button?

Now, I have nothing against sleeping in. In fact, I'll probably maintain the practice at least once a week, but there's definitely something to be said for rising early and making a start. Discipline is not a dirty word. Maybe rising early will give me more time to do what I have to do so that I'll actually enjoy my times of rest when they come....Maybe I'll even take a vacation one of these days! Maybe living an ordinary life doesn't mean being mediocre. So, I'm writing all this down in an effort to concretize the resolution and be somewhat accountable. If anyone out there has any good tips on how to make the most of a day, let me know!