Sunday, November 05, 2006

Sunday Scribblings: Mornings (and procrastination)

Following my personal theme this month, I am procrastinating doing on my school work (due tomorrow!!). At least this form of procrastination is interesting and useful, unlike the hours of TLC I watched last night.

Mornings
I am not a morning person. I'm not a night person either. I'm a sleep person. I could happily sleep from midnight until 10 am (like I did last night), and then lounge in bed for a few more hours, relishing in the fuzzy yet very interesting thoughts that come when I'm half asleep and warm beneath my down comforter (which I would've loved to do today, but alas, I can only allow myself so much time asleep when I have deadlines). In that blissful time, I think about my strange dreams (is there any other type?) of the night before, the emotional slush I'm slogging through at the time, what lies ahead that day or week, what has happened recently or not so recently, any stories I'm working on.

Of course this lounging time is a luxury I can partake in only on the weekends. But I've recently started a weekday morning routine that makes it a little easier to get out of bed after only 7 or 8 hours of sleep. I wash up and then I do Morning Pages, three pages of long-hand writing in my journal about anything. It's kind of like a more structured version of the thinking I do while lying in bed on the weekends. It's also like a form of therapy, helping me uncover things that I wouldn't notice otherwise.

After that I walk my dog--something that hasn't been as much fun lately because it's cold and because my favorite walking companion is in India for 3 weeks on vacation. K and I have fascinating conversations. She's one of the few people who I felt comfortable expressing fairly intimate thoughts with right away. (Thankfully she'll be back soon.)

Then it's time for a rush of what to wear, does the cat have food, what can I eat for lunch. And then my lovely and short commute involves walking for a bit and reading on the train for another bit. At work, I luxuriate in making some decaf coffee and eating breakfast (my current fave is whole wheat oatmeal) while I check my email and get my day started.

So, maybe I am a morning person. As long as the morning starts at 10 am, and allows me time to read, walk, chat, and eat.

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14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmm. you've got me wondering if I could use morning pages to get myself more excited about waking up in the morning. Thank you!

Also, I hope feel that "imitation is the highest form of flattery" because your post is also giving me an angle for my Sunday Scribbling.

Anonymous said...

Nah...a morning person doesn't start at 10am. I know I am not one, cause even 10 is still too early!

Glad to hear that you're enjoying the daily writing.

Anonymous said...

I used to be a very early morning person, but now I find that 10 is just about right for me too!
I agree that morning pages help get me going...I also allow time for a chapter or 2 in whatever I'm reading at the moment.

Enjoyed your post!

Anonymous said...

Oh, yes I'm all for morning that involve reading, chatting, walking, and eating at one's leisure! Sounds wonderful!!

Anonymous said...

You sound awfully like a morning person to me. Still on decaf...that's great! Still doing morning pages -- it's easy to develop a dependency, but as far as dependencies go, it's probably one of the healthier ones.

Anonymous said...

I'm with you, Bug--if the morning starts before 10, it's still nighttime!

You have a great morning routine. Mine involves lots of rushing, because I try to stay in bed as long as possible. Maybe morning pages would help me get up....

Giggles said...

Got to love "The Artist Way", and the days of morning pages....good start to the day! Nice post!

Giggles

GoGo said...

I here ya on time in the morning for yourseld, whenever it starts.

:)

Kim G. said...

10:00 am sounds good to me! How do I convince the schools to change their start times so I can take my kids at 10:30? ;) Seriously - your routine sounds wonderful - keep it a protected treasure in your day. A good morning almost always means a good day.

Deb R said...

Hi! My first time here, but I'm trying to visit some Sunday Scribblings blogs I hadn't been to yet. I enjoyed reading your description of your mornings.

PS...I had to do a double take when I read the phrase "emotional slush" because somehow I saw it first as "emotional sushi" and, well, I was a little confused. Slush makes a lot more sense. :-)

JR's Thumbprints said...

Are you kidding? 10:00 a.m. is like noon to me. I'm up at 4:45 a.m. drinking a bucket of coffee. Keep at the writing though, regardless of the time of day.

Anonymous said...

I like how you've incorporated writing and walking into your morning routine! You're so well-balanced :)

Kids turned me into an all-nighter kind of person--you never know when they'll wake up for something.

Kay said...

I can't remember the last time I slept until 10 am. I don't know if I'm even capable of it anymore. Thanks for giving me something to dream about tonight! ;)

Di said...

Sometimes those deadlines come way too soon! (the same with 10 am!) I push the snooze button way too much, and my mornings become a scramble... but I like your idea of writing in the morning... it sounds like something I could try...