I’m very excited again this week to join a talented group of women bloggers in an online, unedited flash mob free write. This week, the word-prompt given to us by our fearless leader Kate Motaung (whose wonderful blog can be found at katemotaung.com) is “morning“. My timer is set for 5 minutes; ready, set,

This used to be me:

For years, I struggled 5 days a week to wake up at 6:30. Didn’t the world know I was a night person? Didn’t my boss realize that I do my best work after 7:00 p.m.? Sadly, high schools in my area didn’t offer night classes, so I was forced to “rise and shine” far earlier than I would have preferred every single weekday. I hated mornings. Despised them with every atom in my sleep-craving body.

At the end of every week, without fail, that blissful thing we call a weekend would arrive. on Friday night, I’d reset my alarm for 8:30, giving me plenty of time to get ready for whatever activity my children had planned for Saturday and for church on Sunday. But without fail, I’d wake up without the benefit of the alarm no later than 6:15. Wide awake, no less!

I couldn’t figure it out. It was as if my body was playing a joke. Every single week.

I hated mornings.

I don’t know what happened, but a few years ago the relentless cycle ended. Maybe my body forgot about playing it’s little prank every week; perhaps it joined my mind in forgetting stuff. Just part of the fun of entering middle-age, right? (Yes, I said “entering” — it’s called poetic license!)

Whatever the reason, I began waking up during the week just a few minutes before my iPhone — the world’s most expensive alarm clock — blasts the tune from Happy Days.

Not only do I wake up before the 6:00 blast to the past, but I wake up feeling refreshed and ready to start the day. And I do the same thing on weekends. Every morning, I enjoy a leisurely morning of devotion, prayer time, a cup of hot tea, and  the view from the dining room window.

And now, this is me in the morning!