Early Bird

What are you---an early bird, a night owl, or something in between? By definition, an early bird is a person who rises or acts before the usual or expected time. A night owl is a person who is habitually active or wakeful at night.

I don’t know when I made the leap from night owl to early bird. Perhaps it was when my now 29-year-old equestrian daughter was a child rider showing her ponies, and we had to be at a competition states away at the crack of dawn. Perhaps it was 14 years ago when I gave up my obsession with alcohol and no longer had to nurse a hangover. Regardless of when or why, my life is exponentially better because I am an early bird. Every Sunday morning since the beginning of the pandemic, I rise and drive to the next town where I pick up a week's worth of groceries curbside at 7:00 am. This is my chosen time slot. I have other opportunities during the week to make that run, but I cherish the drive to Westerly on Sunday mornings when I’m the only one on the road. I get to witness the sun coming up and I can take in the splendor of the natural world around me. 

Throughout the pandemic, I have gone to the YMCA for 5:45 am cycle classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, a practice I continue to this day. At 67-years-old, I must take my physical seriously if I wish to continue an active lifestyle. 

Groceries and spin classes aside, how does early-birding affect creativity? What better time than the hours before dawn to tackle those projects? Often, I hear from women who have school-age children, most with jobs outside the home, who claim they just can’t make time for their creative lives. I won't co-sign their excuses. I wrote and published two books of informational nonfiction before my children hit kindergarten. Rising just 30 minutes earlier can net huge results, so why are you sleeping in?

Imagine the look your muse gives you each morning as you fly by her, shutting the door behind you. Show up. Sit down. She's waiting to reveal her magic, and there is magic in the hours just before dawn. 

Do you remember that childhood jingle: Get up, get up, you sleepy head! Give a listen: http://binged.it/3fYJded