Early mornings

Being 25 is so strange. Things are changing in big ways, and I'm hyper-aware of it all. Days don't go by in the lazy-hazy way they did when I was in college or high school. Things seemed to magically take care of themselves and all I had to do was study, get good grades and show up to my part time job. I lived in a dreamworld back then, where songs were heartbreaks and anthems and I survived on a diet of coffee and popcorn. I didn't question much and lived pretty comfortably in a constant  state of nebulousness. The most difficult thing I had to figure out was if I wanted to study Brit Lit or World Art, and did I want to do so at the Coffee Bean or Starbucks???! These were real dilemmas. Of course, I do remember college being stressful at times: balancing work, studies and play, but there was a cloud of innocence that seemed to blanket everything, and allowed me to dwell in a deliciously whimsical state of mind.

As I'm entering into true adulthood, I feel like every day is precious and I'm supremely aware that I'm alive, healthy, and overall, pretty-freaking-happy. I have more responsibility, yes, and more tasks, but I also have more awareness. I'm quickly losing all pretenses of that youthful, I-throw-caution-to-the-wind lifestyle that I embodied back then, finding instead that I'm opting for regularity, consistent scheduling and most of all a full night's sleep--discovering that it's deeply satisfying. With all of these new responsibilities (taxes/car payments/doctor's appointments/and the like), I've realized how important it is for me to start waking up earlier. One of my resolutions this year was "to complete at least one task each day". I chose that phrasing on purpose--because it's manageable. It's so easy to complete one task every day. And what's great about it, is that once you finish one task, the taste of accomplishment is so honey-sweet, that you usually wind up finishing more than what you set out to do.

Now, this should have happened ages ago, but I woke up at 7:30 the other morning and have decided to commit to doing it regularly. I noticed that I'd been sleeping in too late during the work week. Work starts at 10 and I'll casually wake up at 9, then find myself scrambling and starving, showing up at the gallery with half a face of make-up and a terrible outfit. Even though I didn't rush around to get things done that morning, waking up at 7:30 allowed me to make a well-deserved cup of coffee, leisurely clean my room, go to the UPS store, send a package, do a little yoga, and pay a parking ticket all before my 10:00 work time. What a novel concept!

Ahhh, but, since I'm human...I have not even come close to sticking to this awesome new plan. It's been a few days and I've woken up even later than usual. Sigh. I'm down to give it another go, though!