Early bird, who dis?

Barely opens eyes, rolls over leftward and almost immediately, rapid blinking ensues. Next, quick hand rub over my eyes to be certain about what I’m seeing. My alarm clock only lies to me twice every year. But it’s neither March nor November and so, it really must be 6:30am. Alas, this is not a dream, why am I awake?

Now that the cat’s out of the bag, I’ve been waking up at 6:30am or thereabout for over a week now and it still takes me by surprise - every time. Moreso, when I arise without a nudge from my reliable friend in the alarm clock.

Anyone who knows me well would readily confirm I’ve been on the dark (read: late night) side of life for the vast majority of my adult life. And on little thought, I’d attribute that mainly to 2 things: college and my career path. I would assume the first is probably self-explanatory and that journey is over for better or worse. I am now a software engineer and it is fairly common for such persons to burn the proverbial midnight oil even when they are being anything but productive! I’ve pondered to myself and asked a few of my colleagues why this is so prevalent and the responses I’ve received range from the logical to the not so logical. “There are less distractions at night” a coworker insists. And by distractions he refers to the whole gamut: humans to white noise emanating from moving cars, nearby factories (if you don’t live in the suburbs, eh) and electronic equipment. I wholeheartedly agree with his position and any engineer will tell you working late increases their chances of getting into and staying longer in the “zone” where they are most productive. 

Nevertheless, I am willing to forfeit this zone. At least, at night time.

Being one to take great exception to anyone who decides to preach their lifestyle at me, I will not turn around and do that to you. Instead, I will merely highlight some of the benefits I particularly enjoy from waking early and why I’m motivated enough to keep it going. First, is a significantly more defined structure around my day that seeps into a feeling I wake up with and an energy I carry through the day. It may not be the case for every night owl, but I used to wake up a little less energetic coupled with the feeling of catching up with what the rest of the world had started a few hours prior. In sharp contrast, I absolutely treasure the soft start to the day when I wake up early. I open the curtains and catch a glimpse of the sun rising, there is an indescribable ambience that permeates my abode as I play some slow tempo music and drink some warm ginger tea (pro-tip: throw some lemon in too). I do not feel rushed into work either which is something I cannot possibly overemphasize.

Further, my best efforts at being contrarian, deliberate or not will never change how the world works - and rightly so. Most things in our world would forever be centered around early risers. Most restaurant outlets or grocery stores will not stay open till 2am because I want them to. More importantly, I recall my uncle, a doctor no less, expatiating around the body’s circadian rhythm which is something I want to assume I’ve finally begun tapping into and contributes to my new found energy.

My late nights, at their worst, can feel like graveyard shifts slugging through the last bar of energy my body has for the day while the early mornings are closer to picking fruits in a silent garden.

I would be remiss not to mention exactly why I began waking up early but I must call it a night if I will hear the birds chirping at my window tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Suggested: Asa “Eye Adaba” translated “the dove”. Asa, easily one of my favorite artistes, describes in my native language (Yoruba) the serenity of mornings.

Take less ✌🏽