Morning Girl

When I was younger (probably between eight and ten), I read a sweet story called Morning Girl. It was about a girl who lived on an exotic island and woke every day to the sun. She loved the fresh air of the morning. She walked the shore , collecting shells for her grandmother to make into buckets. Every afternoon, she would crawl into an old fishing net hung between trees as a hamock. After a long morning of gathering and enjoying the fresh air and midst from the sea, she would fall asleep, relaxing and enjoying the world.

I loved that book. No wonder my mom bought it for me. I was that girl! Well, I certainly did not collect shells or get to take daily naps in a hamock along the shore...but I was her and I still am. Every morning I wake up ready to shoot out of bed (not with the sun rise, I only did that when I was little). I love the way the air feels and even looks in the morning. The air is clearer the sky is lighter...it's awesome! I love the renewed sense of energy. Getting up in the morning is the greatest! Now, on days where I wake up at 5:30 to go work a day shift after only getting 4 hours of sleep, I may not pop out so quickly but I note that my brain will never be clearer than those moments. It's sad but my brain power significantly decreases throughout the day. That's why, like Morning Girl, I need my afternoon nap. Most days I don't get it. But, oh man, when I do, I have a chance of functioning with a normal intellect into the night. What's weird is that I suck at waking up from naps. If someone wakes me, I'm really mean to them! I mean, like childish mean! I am always so groggy. In college, I would wake up from my nap, stumble out of my dorm room and into my neighbors' where I would just sit on the floor and gaze at nothing. It takes me a good hour to come out of nap mode. Whenever my husband is super groggy and slow in the morning (which can drive me nuts because it is so different than I function), I have to remind myself that I act the same way at 4 in the afternoon.

Mornings will always be more magical than any sun set. Yes, sunsets often have more colors, but the morning is just so fresh and so hopeful. It's beautiful. My favorite time of day! Above is a picture taken of a sunrise that I watched in Florida while on Big Break. So beautiful!