Why I Wake Up Early

My ideal morning would be to wake up at 6:30 am, make myself a cup of warm lemon tea and some oatmeal while doing my morning devotionals, go to the gym, then have time to get coffee before my obligations for the day to begin. Alas, many mornings I accidentally end up snoozing my alarm and sleeping in until 7:30-8. I know, I know… this is still “early,” but it is the perfect, most subtle way to start my day off on the wrong start. Waking up an hour after I set myself to leaves me little time to accomplish what I planned to, which begins a domino effect of frustration and stress.

7:20 AM: MY FAVORITE THING TO MAKE IN THE MORNING: BLUEBERRY OATMEAL, BLUEBERRIES, BANANA, CHIA SEEDS, PEANUT BUTTER, DATES, GRANOLA, PUMPKIN SEEDS, RAISINS, AND GOJI BERRIES.

Many people ask me: Why would you wake up so early just to do all this?

Most of the time, my answer is simply because I don’t have time during the day to complete all of this. My full answer is a bit more complex than this, but it is simultaneously so simple.

The morning is the only time I have completely and utterly to myself. There is a sort of quiet peace that I can’t get at any other point of the day. This is the only time that I have to spend just between me and God, and no one else. By waking up early, I have the time to indulge in the practices that make me feel good and happy.

The small satisfactions that I get, only at this time, are enough to keep me wanting more.

The blessings of attending morning prayer.

The sun peeking out for the first time that day, and the splashes of pink it paints.

The satisfaction and comfort of an empty gym.

Time to go to a cafe and get ahead (or catch up) before I get busy for the day.

The calmness of making my morning tea before the flurry of Snapchats and iMessages come in.

The relief of seeing a made bed when I get home from a long day, even if everything else in my day was messy.

Just watching the campus slowly wake up before my eyes, and doing what I want, before anyone asks anything of me, that is the feeling I chase every morning. Yes, I find myself failing. Sometimes it is a big, fat, spectacular failure. And maybe sometimes I need that failure; I want to listen to my body and pay attention to all aspects of my health. But, the failed mornings make each winning one feel that much more magnificent.

This is the practice that has kept me sane through college. A time, that some call, the best time of their lives. But for me, it has been a trying time, chock-full of challenges, loneliness, and depression. I have, in fact, never felt so alone despite being surrounded by over 30,000 people every single day. The only way I have found, to manage all this stress and emotional turmoil, is by honoring this time that I make. I know that if no one else on this campus makes time for me, that at least I did.

Even if it is not at 6am, I think that finding time for me is the best thing that I have done for myself in these last two years.

It makes sense to me, and I hope it makes sense to you too. If it doesn’t, I understand, and I hope you find something else to make your days a little better.

xo,

Karis