MORNING MADNESS

I have become a morning person.  I wasn't in my younger years, but in the past 8-10 years, I am more and more at my best, most productive between about 6:00 a.m. and noon.  I hang in there for coffee with friends or whatever in the early afternoon, but by 3:00 I've lost my mojo and start looking forward to vegging out all evening with my TV shows, resenting when I have a nighttime event I have to attend away from home.

I am the person I used to ridicule.

Sunrises delight me. I bore my FB friends with frequent sunrise photos from my bedroom, my faves being of the 4 a.m. variety in mid-summer when our days are long (sunset at nearly 10:30 p.m. and sunrise around 4 a.m. -- not officially, perhaps, but with enough light in the sky to count as not dark.)

Each sunrise is like a gift...I get to live another day.  I feel nearly manic some days.  I'm up and out of bed, pouring my (half-caff) coffee while my mind races to all the things I will accomplish that day.  Like a cokehead, I am gregarious, bright, funny, articulate, invincible, and sure I'm able to do everything! No problem!  I have to believe there is some surging brain chemical at play but I'm not sure why.  My body is now a temple of clean-living (except for my wee little sugar cravings), so there is no snorting off a mirror going on over here.  (I saw it in a movie...)

More problematic than the energy boost, is the amusing change in personality.  Lately in the mornings I think I want a puppy.  I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT WANT A PUPPY! But I have puppy fantasies and it seems like a most delightful idea.  I also think I want to go camping with Hub.  I HATE CAMPING!  I have had some nice outings, and some miserable ones, but I only recall the good and feel a huge urge to pack up the camper and go!  Then I think maybe we should head back to Europe.  WHAT?  I AM NOT AN EAGER TRAVELER!  But yes, I think we now need to get back to touring on the bus with the Rick Steves group and see some more countries.

I will give you a hint....if you want to ask me to do something or commit to something, ask me in the morning, when my chemical cocktail makes my brain say "yes" to things that later in the day I will regret.  I might follow through if it's not too abhorrent.  Just know that I rarely now make myself do things I really and truly don't want to do, so you may get a call from me later explaining that I was out of my mind and I really don't want to lead the Girl Scout troop on an overnight camp-out after all; I super do not want to climb Mt. Rainier; driving your obnoxious brother to the airport at rush hour just isn't gonna work out for me.

I think I was less vulnerable to this type of loopiness when I was a night person.   I wasn't sleepy, but I wasn't crazy either.  Those days are gone, however, since by 9:30 (sometimes embarrassingly much sooner) I'm dozing on the sofa and absolutely everything seems like just too much work to take on.

I'm sure these changes are among the many ages and stages age-related surprises I have noticed with each passing year.  Isn't it great that we get to keep learning new things about ourselves?  Why, I have a whole stack of books on "aging gleefully" that I plan to read -- tomorrow morning before lunch.

At least, that's the view from here...©

Photo Credit:  www.pixabay.com