Good Morning, Starshine

I wish I lived in a culture that supported the idea of a mid-day rest period.

I love the early morning; I love watching light slowly creep across the sky, and listening to the world awaken. I love the nights too, though; I love the stillness and the stars. I'm only human, though, and I cannot simultaneously wait to go to bed and still rise with the sun. The best solution, obviously, would be the mid-day rest.

But, as I said, I don't feel like our culture supports such a creature. There's always going to be something that best fits into the early afternoon. Even my preliminary schedules for next year include activities in the early afternoon time frame on two of the five weekdays. It's just when those things are. Along the same lines, stores and offices are going to close at their designated times, no matter when I might like to find my bed. If I lose a couple of hours (let's say 12:30 to 2:30 pm, or 1 to 3 pm), the pediatrician or the vision therapy center aren't going to be open until 7 to accommodate that. The grocery stores and bookstores aren't going to stay open for an extra hour or two.

Compromise is necessary, then. For a long time, I've tilted in favor of the nights, for many varied reasons. It was unbalanced, though; I missed the mornings. I've been trying very hard to rise around 7 am, which means I have to be in bed by 11 pm without exception, for the most part. Of course, now that I'm regularly seeing the good side of 7:10 am from the sunroom or the living room, I find myself wishing I could rise even earlier. Simultaneously, I wish I didn't always have to go to bed in the evening, even though I know I'm tired.

Really, I could take or leave the early afternoon! Especially if I've had a good lunch, I'm comfortable, and the ambient temperature is right, it's already easy to feel a little drowsy. Going from a little drowsy to a nice siesta doesn't seem like such a large step. Until I find a way to institute a siesta, though, I guess I'll just have to approach each day as slightly unbalanced. Either that, or I need to train myself to run happily on just six hours of sleep.