The Time Special And Solitary

I have written in passing about my attitude regarding the early morning, but don't believe that I have elaborated upon the very brief comments I made. As I said then, my feelings are very much in line with those of my father and the great Henry David Thoreau. The morning is a very special time when the day holds what I consider to be literally unlimited potential. At the hour of 5 AM, it seems to me that absolutely anything might transpire before one will have occasion to sleep again. The vast majority of the day's potential permutations are eliminated in short order, and that's part of what makes it so worth being up early.

Dad is really something where this is concerned. He's the chief inspiration for my feelings on the matter. He'll be the last man on Earth who gets up with the rooster, walks out to the driveway to get the paper, and then reads it with a cup of coffee before heading out to work. He does that every day, and not begrudgingly. Rain or shine, work day or weekend, he's up at the crack of dawn and joining the day on the ground floor. I would admire him greatly for nothing more than that. He's the model I strive to match. I would express similar if lesser praise about Thoreau, but I never met him.

It's a time when a person can get to feeling as if the world belongs to and is populated by only them. The illusion is spoiled by the very occasional sighting of other humans, but for long stretches, a person can convince themselves that there's no one left but them and the birds, and there's something pleasing about that notion. It's something like the nicest parts of Matheson's "I Am Legend" or the classic Twilight Zone episode "Time Enough At Last" starring Burgess Meredith. No one remains to get in the way of what you want to do, or so it seems until the day must begin in earnest.

It's an elite time as well, as the solitary nature I've described suggests. About anyone can be up during what some call the Witching Hour, but not so for the morning. It requires a certain discipline and temperament to be able to get up and be bright-eyed and chipper, or even to just not appear to be going through Delirium Tremens. I have a very hard time managing it on a consistent basis, but always feel great about myself when I can pull it off. It's a feeling akin to that which I enjoy when I get to church or accomplish chores and errands.

At the risk of appearing uncool, there's something very pleasing about being responsible and fulfilling obligations. I may not be able to do those things often, but it's sure nice when I do.Try being a morning person if you aren't already. It honestly and truly feels better than being a night owl. If you lack the inspiration or motivation, do as I did, and read "Walden", or give a listen to the entire "William Tell Overture". At the risk of over-selling both, they ought to inspire anyone to get up early, barring a heart made of stone.