An early riser, I enjoy the hush of morning. Right now there’s a nest of baby birds outside our bedroom window that are early risers, too. At 4:15am—on the nose—the “hush” is replaced by chirps of “Mama, we want food—now!”
We like to walk early enough that we can still see steam rising from shrubbery; Mother Nature enjoying her morning cuppa while she puts on her daytime face. For us it’s a refreshing way to launch the day.
“The person who doesn’t scatter the morning dew will not comb gray hairs.”
—Hunter S. Thompson
A full head of silver hair, I’ve scattered plenty of morning dew.
Do you get up with the worms, or are you a night owl?
© Laurie Buchanan
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Tuesdays with Laurie 
I can do either.
Tomorrow I will be on the road before daylight.
This morning I didn’t get up until 7
Before going vegan I used to enjoy going out to sea early and having my gear in the water so I could enjoy watching the sunrise over the horizon.
Going to bed soon.
Ailsa is definitely an early riser. She gets fidgetty after about 5am.
Ted — I wish I was a flexible time-wise as you!
Definitely an early bird! I too wake up with the morning chorus, but don’t tend to get up till 6.30am to give me time to walk the dog before work. I just wouldn’t want to wake DH up, as he is a much deeper sleeper than me. I agree, that the quiet of the morning is a very special time and I enjoy to see the world waking up little by little.
Fatima — “…see the world waking up little by little.” That’s the perfect way to describe it! 🙂
The time tag on this comment should answer your question, Laurie! I have been a morning person all my life. One thing I love about retirement, however, is that I almost never wake to an alarm. The kiss of morning dew is much sweeter that way.
Shirley — Like you, I much prefer to wake up naturally rather than being launched out of bed by the screech of an alarm. I can easily envision you sitting in your red chair watching the morning light wake up your mountain view.
I am also a morning person, as you may remember from some of my posts. On this writing retreat, I’ve been the coffee maker, as I’ve been the first one up nearly every morning. I’m not usually up at 4, but I’m almost always up by 5:30–and 6:00 is definitely “sleeping in.”
I love the early morning quiet, and the singing and chattering of the birds. I feel like the day is full of possibilities!
Merril — Oh how I wish I was one of the coffee drinkers on your writing retreat. I love what you wrote, “I feel like the day is full of possibilities!” Yes, indeed 🙂
It would be great to meet you, Laurie!
On our island retreat, my roommate and I, both early risers, saw the blush of sunrise on the lake this morning. The day is fresh, full of promise.
Writing memoir now, I remember a song we sang at school: “Good morning merry sunshine, how did you wake so soon? You scattered all the stars and shined away the moon.”
Marian — I’ve been like a bumble bee this morning flitting from blog post to blog post of the writers on your writing retreat. Better than any honey in the world — what a SWEET TREAT you’re enjoying 🙂
I do get up early in general and I have for many years. When the dogs where still with me we scattered morning dew a lot. Now it is more of waking to morning quite so the mediation and morning pages can be done with more complete awareness.
Jeff — I love that you’re still doing morning pages from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way! 🙂
I’m an early riser although I don’t like to miss anything so I try to stay up until late, but finding it more difficult these days… Grey hairs aplenty. Happy week, Laurie.
Olga — “…I don’t like to miss anything…” I can picture you trying to hold your weary eyes open to catch everything as you nod off to sleep 🙂
Being from a family of early risers, I am considered a lay-about and a laggard for wanting to stay in bed until dawn. Having been in the Green Industry for all of my adult life and keeping a flock of laying hens for a good many of those years, insured that I would always have wet feet from making tracks through the dewy grass. Now that I have reached semi-retirement, I’ve been known to sleep in until as late as 7:30, a practice that I consider utterly sybaritic and absolutely delightful!
Sandi – You decadent woman, you! 🙂
Well as usual the answer to this is more complex for me. I don’t like to sleep much. I am a TOTAL night owl. My most energetic time is after 10:00 p.m. I literally have to force myself in bed by midnight to be asleep by 12:45 or so now with the time change.
With that said, some might consider me an early riser as I am normally up on the weekdays by 6:45 and right out to the barn and weekends by 8:00. I require approximately 5 1/2 to 6 hours of sleep to feel my best.
This morning we had a frost and the sun is warm so the mist was rising while I did barn chores. The air was crisp and fresh which I love!
Tina — Clearly you don’t require much sleep. I love that you enjoy watching the mist rise as you do the barn chores. I imagine you get to see mist from the horses nostrils and mouths, too. Ohhhh, what a treat!
For me, early is somewhere between 6:00 and 7:00 a.m. and that’s when I get up – mainly because Shasta says so. But I linger, after feeding the dogs and getting my coffee, reading my email and checking to make sure the world is still here. That time with the morning quiet and the view from my window is my greatest joy of retirement.
Carol — With you having shared the view from your window to the great outdoors, I can well see why you enjoy lingering with Mother Nature 🙂
Work has required an early to rise pattern. However when left to my own natural energy cycle I get up to full steam mid-afternoon. And then I may stay up to the early morning hours. Yesterday something sparked my creative muse very late. I was up until 2 a.m. this morning journaling, creating a mind-map and making other notes. I was up at 8 a.m.; not too late but certainly no early bird. A nap may be in the schedule this afternoon.
In the Spring and Summer my energy cycle does switch to an earlier start up and peak energy cycle. And the birds in the nearby wetland are often my call to get started near dawn.
Audrey — If I didn’t go to sleep until 2am, there’s no way I’d be up by 8am, and there would definitely be a nap in the day’s schedule! (Isn’t it fun when your creative muse grabs you and takes you on a writing adventure?) 🙂
Thank you for this poetic post, Laurie. How lovely.
I crawl in the morning dew with the worms; my husband hoots with the owls. So it’s a juggle between morning and night.
Leanne — I love how you described the difference between you and your husband’s sleeping patterns: you crawl in the morning dew and he hoots with the owls 🙂
I naturally wake up around six. I like to get out early for my first walk of the day. This is my grounding/meditation/quiet walk. Later in the day I’ll step it up and walk for exercise. Many times there’s still mist rising from the lake and most people are still in bed. An occasional dog walker or fisherman going down to the lake maybe — but no real traffic yet.
Espirational — It sounds lovely – especially the mist rising from the lake. Yes, indeed! 🙂
I’ve always been a night owl, Laurie. I considered those very quiet moments in the wee small hours to be my reward for a day spent. Recently, however, I’ve started inching my way into becoming more of a morning person. . .capturing those soft colors of sunrise inspires me:)
Alison — You’re enjoying the best of both worlds! 🙂
It changes with the circumstances of life and the seasons … Right now I too am enjoying the dew and how the early morning sun captures it!
Val – I admire people who are flexible and adaptable 🙂
I’m a morning person but not as early as 4:30 AM. I rise with the sun and find myself falling asleep as soon as it sets. I hibernate in the winter. Summer finds me staying up much later!
Joan – Like you, I go to bed early in the winter, but enjoy staying up late — sitting outside — in the summer 🙂
I love reading your post…..and great pictures…..I am both….love watching the sunrise, and sunset….makes you feel like you have lived the full day all the way through….but on rainy days I love nestling in to my bed and listening to the sound of the rain….unfortunatly it won’t be happening a lot here in the desert…LOL
Kat — I love that you bookend your days by watching the sun rise and set.
On rainy days I love to stack up the bed pillows and snuggle in for a good read!
nothing better than a good read in bed on a rainy day….oh yes and a cup of good coffee…LOL
Laurie, I’ve not always been an all night person but since retirement, husband and I enjoy watching the late news together and then retiring with Kindles in hand to read ourselves to sleep, usually around 12:30am. However, some night I’m still reading when he douses his light and it’s after 1:00am when I close my eyes. Therefore, another habit changed for me at retirement and that was the need to rise and shine with the birds. Now, for the first time in my life, I can sleep in until 7:30 or 8:00am. It feels decadent to do so, but then I spent 30+ years getting up with the birds so I feel I’ve earned it. Come warmer, sunnier weather and I’ll likely start rising earlier to sit on the porch with coffee in hand and watch the day awaken.
Sherrey – I love the description of you and your husband’s evening routine. Decadence? Clearly, you’ve earned it! 🙂
Laurie, for a long time I could define myself as a night owl, but now I’ve settled in for a more disciplined routine, necessitated by a healthier regimentation.
On another note I was thrilled to see Idaho voters go BIG for Bernie Sanders yesterday! 🙂
Sam – Meeeeee tooooooo regarding Bernie! 🙂
I think I was secretly bitten by a vampire when I was a young child or a rabid owl attacked me because I like to stay up way too late most nights.
Gary — You stay up late writing funny blog posts on Skipah’s Realm. I enjoyed reading about your most recent adventure, “The Eastern Seaboard Episodes: The Hunt for Miss Madison.” 🙂
Thanks Laurie :), it was a great vacation and can’t wait to write more about it!
Hi,
I know Sherrey Meyer and Gary. I am Janice. You liked my Buffer post on Dawn’s site. I came over to thank you and introduce myself.
In answer to your question: I am definitely a night owl. I am a teacher and must wake early, but I am definitely a late-to-bed person.
Janice
I’ve watched the sunrise many times from the window of my office having pulled an all nighter at my desk as well as from foxholes. To watch the desert sky and see a billion stars fade into the sunrise is magnificent, but then so are our sunsets, so I guess it would be safe to say. Both.
Dennis — You’re a “bookender” then, enjoying both sides equally. And I can well imagine that the sunrises and sunsets from your home are absolutely stunning! 🙂
As a child I was always an early riser – full of possibilities person, full of opportunities person. When I had to get up to get children to school, I rather lost my morning charms and needed my walk to get re: awakened. Post surgery I am still sleeping a lot and have difficulty getting out of bed in the mornings. I am still getting up many times during the night which interrupts my deep sleep times. I think when I am sleeping I am healing…
Patricia — I, too, believe that our body knits itself back together (heals) while we sleep.
I am definitely a dew scatterer. If I have grey hairs, I’m not saying.
Arlene — you crack me up! 🙂
Oh so true! Early hours are the healthiest and the most enjoyable.
InesePhoto — I couldn’t agree with you more 🙂
I get up with the worms Laurie. I also enjoy the beginning of the bird song each day. I call it my heavenly symphony.
TimelessLady – “Heavenly symphony.” I love it!
Up early, well before dawn and the birds. They sleep a little later here but plenty of young as they wake-up and cry for food.
love this post!
Eddie Two Hawks – I’m glad this post resonated with you. Thank you for letting me know.
I’m a bit of both. Burning the candle at both ends far too often.
Marie — Uhh-ho, is that smoke I smell?! 🙂
Really a pleasant weather n bliss of nature its enchanting beauty looks amazing in the morning.
Your work is worth reading