The wee hours
I am not a morning person. I do not spring out of bed with a song in my heart and a smile on my face. Back when i had my choice in the matter, i would stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning, and sleep in until 10 or 11. That's my natural rhythm.
I loved the middle of the night. It was quiet and it was my own time, and there was no one in the house with whom i had to share it. When i lived with my parents, it was the time that i could quietly read, listen to odd radio shows and sneak food from the kitchen. In college, i would walk by myself (stupid, i know now) to the all night store and buy soup or a rice krispie treat. If i passed anyone, we would eye each other, but there was no need or desire for any greetings.
Last night, about 2 in the morning, i heard Em's door open, the sound of her radio playing softly, and then her feet coming down the stairs, followed by some rustling around in the kitchen. This morning the leftover pizza that i made for dinner last night is gone.
I think she too is enjoying the peaceful solitude.
21 comments:
It's good to know I won't have to be a morning person forever! My best sleeping hours are after eight in the morning. It seems my daughter is going to be a night person, too.
Really enjoyed the dinner conversation on Friday night, everyone.
That was my natural rhythm, too. Cursed responsibilities.
That was my natural rythm as well- it was hard as a teenager being awake at 2 am and trying to get to school by 8:20 am. I was the lucky receipent of many a cold glass of water thrown in my face by my mother.
I am such a morning person, it has gotten on everyone's nerves who has ever lived with me.
It's so sweet when you write so lovingly about your daughter. I hope to some day know that love for someone...
I used to be a night person...but now I'm asleep early and up early, unfortunately.
My kids drag me awake before dawn, but I willingly stay awake late into the night to have that quiet time all to myself. There is nothing quite like it. Makes me feel like my old self.
This is my natural rhythm as well. Even when I was five years old and I would lie awake listening to my parents snore. In university and grad school it was the worst. I was on an all night schedule (literally until 4 - 6 Am) and then sleep until noon. Now, because of my depressing life, I fall asleep before eleven or I can barely get my head off the pillow at 6 in the morning. Sigh.
Always been a morning person. I am usually up by 3:45 am to get ready to go to work. Someday I might enjoy the feeling of getting up like that for a snack and not have to worry about going in to work. lol
hi de, you will be able to get it back, it's just going to be a while. I enjoyed the conversation too. :)
Ms. Lucky, why hello there. Good thing some of those responsibilities are so cute.
urban-urchin, i didn't get the glass of water in the face, which seems pretty abusive to me, but getting up every day felt like torture. I hear you!
josephine, a morning person! You are much more in tune with society, that's for sure. Thank you about the writing. I wish that for you as well.
sari, as you can see, you are not alone.
lisa, i sometimes stay awake late too, but i am always sorry in the morning because the household doesn't stop for me. But at the time it feels good.
bo, poor thing, i feel for you. I worked swing shift through much of college. It was perfect for me.
sanjay, 3:45? That's hideous! i would be a zombie for several hours after that.
I have always been a night person too, but real life and an early bus arrival have forced me to alter my natural rhythms and I get up at 6am whether I have to or not. When I sleep past 7am now I get all headachey and lazy. I keep thinking I will someday go back to my old patterns but I suspect I won't be able to. Gotta love the irony of these kinds of things.
I used to be a morning person... I found the same kind of peaceful solitude that you described around 5:00 a.m. instead of 2:00 a.m.
However, anymore, I like my sleep. Both early in the evening and late in the morning.
Best of luck to Em, she's ready for college! :-)
Even when you write about little simple things, happy things, you write so well, meno. I love your blog.
Guess she inherited that bio-rhythm too! I pretty much a morning person and can't do the night owl thing too well. Even in university, I found it hard to pull an all-nighter! I'd crash at 2:00 a.m.! I always feel weird walking around at night, but it is more the norm now with so many people on different shifts. We live in Honda town so grocery stores are open 24 hr.
I love the wee hours, too. It's when I blog. I'm glad I discovered yours now. c',)
Happy Halloween!
tracy, i suspect that my pattern may never return either after years of thwarting it. I can't sleep late very often on the weekends, too wiggly.
princess, i think it's the same peace too, just at different times as dictated by biology.
esereth, thank you, what a lovely thing to say. :)
MOI, I think teenagers are nocturnal by nature. And it's about the only time she gets to be alone.
irene, i wish i could blog then, but it so happens that i am sleeping at that time, unless i can't sleep. Thank you for stopping by. Happy Halloween to you too!
I've always been a night person. I love the exhale at the end of the day and the time to reconnoiter my thoughts. Plus I love a little popcorn and relax time. Now however, my body just cannot decide what it wants because I'm tired by 9:30 pm and don't want to get out of bed before 8 am - even though I have to. :-) I think things will get back to the night scene eventually. That's really cute about Em eating late in the night and listening to music.
I love the wee hours, either way - up before the others or up after the others. Lately I have been doing the before everyone else, if I set the alarm for 4 am, the rest of the family doesn't get up until 6 am. I get the chance to have some coffee, to blog, do some homework and then when they all get up, my head is clear and I am happy to see them. It works well for me. But, when that doesn't happen I tend to stay up too late just to have some of the peace. My teen stays up late and is very upset when I do it too!
I used to do my best writing at night. I think it's a magical time for teenaged girls. And their moms. :-)
Great post.
I have always loved the night. I remember waking up in the middle of the night when I was nothing more than a wisp of a little girl. Maybe 3 or 4. I had terrible leg cramps and my mom (who also is a night owl) used to massage my limbs with vick's vaporub to help soothe the pain. She was always so relaxed when she did this. I believe she was her true self in those moments. We would chat and she always finished the massage with a big wet kiss and a loving "Bonne nuit ma chouette"...Nice to feel that love again. Thanks again Meno.
maggie, it's hard to be a recovering night person.
marsha, ain't it funny to be competing for the quiet with your daughter? Em and i have chosen to ignore each other in the night. Except occasionally when i get to hear some secret that she needs to tell. Sweet.
nancy, thank you. It is a magical time, or a scary one, when the worries come out.
caro, what a great story. if you haven't, and you still can, you should tell your mom. I'll bet she remembers too.
sanjay, 3:45?
Yep.. it's amazing what one gets used to.
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