Early Bird

by Debra Marshall

I was never a morning person. As a teenager, and on into my early and mid-twenties, I was a notoriously late riser. Sleep was my best friend, and I prided myself on never willingly crawling from my bed before ten in the morning. In college I always scheduled late-morning and afternoon classes (except for the one torturous semester when I didn't notice until too late that my 2pm geology class had an 8am lab--oh, how I wailed and gnashed my teeth), and the only times I saw the sun rise were when I didn't make it to my bed before dawn. Then I grew up.

Oh, it wasn't by choice, I assure you. Given my druthers I would happily have continued on the way I'd been going, but law firms have this quirky way of wanting their junior associates to start the workday before lunchtime. Funny that.

So, when I started my first job out of law school, I had to give my well-established circadian rhythms a major readjustment. It wasn't easy. I spent at least the first three months of that job hopped up on No-Doz and double-shot cappuccinos, and I still had to sneak a power nap in my favorite lavatory stall every afternoon. Then, suddenly, something happened.

I found myself not only growing accustomed to early mornings, I found myself enjoying them.

Once my internal clock got turned around enough that I was more than merely semi-conscious as I got ready for work, I realized how beautiful early mornings could be. There is a certain calm and peacefulness that comes over the world in the early hours of the day, and it's wonderful to sit in the quiet with a hot cup of tea and plan the day ahead. I especially love this time of year, when the sun shines brightly at 6am. On warm mornings, I go out on my porch and look at all the flowers in bloom while the air fills with birdsong. Who knew mornings could be so glorious?

When I still had the habit of staying in bed until mid-morning, my days always felt so hectic. I liked to wait until the last possible moment to get up, and then I had to rush, rush, rush to get to where I was supposed to be on time. I felt stressed so much of the time, and I was easily overwhelmed and defeated by my workload. These days, I mostly start out nice and easy. I get up in plenty of time before I have to leave for the office, and I treat myself to at least an hour of "me time," during which I might read a book, take a leisurely bath, go for a walk around the neighborhood, or just sit and drink coffee.

I've become so fond of that part of my day that I can't imagine going back to the way things used to be. Even on my days off I get up before nine, and I don't even miss sleeping later. Instead, when I think now of all the hours like these that I wasted sleeping, I feel a little embarrassed. It is true what they say, "You snooze, you lose."

The Author

Debra Marshall fills her days with depositions and her nights with anything but depositions.