Start Strong
Start Strong
I woke up early today. To most people, I typically wake up early anyways, with 5:01 a.m. being my primary alarm. But today I woke up at 4:00 a.m. Honestly, it wasn’t my idea, but the dog’s idea. I got out of bed to take him out for a quick trip around the block and then decided to stay awake, figuring he would not want to go back to bed anyway. It was a good decision, to say the least. I am sure we have all woken up early in our lives, but for some reason, it just feels different—and better—when you are 39. It feels especially good because I wasn’t waking up to go into work early or anything along those lines. I was the opposite of rushed. This wake up allowed time to enjoy my coffee, prep for the coming day, and start the writing process or whatever other process to which I felt inclined.
The most striking thing about 4:00 a.m. is the quiet. This seems like an obvious quality of the time slot, but it really stood out, even compared to 6:00 a.m. While outside with the dog, I heard no cars. I heard no other neighborhood dogs barking. I am currently writing this at 6:31 a.m., and that has already changed. Even though we live in a quiet neighborhood, I can still hear the hustle and bustle signaling the beginning of a new day. 4:00 a.m. felt like a whole different world. It was my day and no one else’s. There were no cars to interrupt my thoughts, no need to check email or the phone. Hell, even my two crazy dogs were too tired to be annoying.
The quiet provided me with a unique feeling. My brain felt completely fresh and relaxed. It was not yet bogged down with the tasks and information of the day. Even at my normal waking time, my brain has to fight the knowledge that I must be soon getting ready to slog away to my cubicle and waste the beautiful day. My brain usually focuses on the chain of events that need to happen before that dreaded commute. Make the coffee. Make the second batch of coffee. Decide how long of a walk I can take the dogs on. Take the dogs for a walk. Decide what I should eat for breakfast. Cook breakfast. Choose suitable clothes for the workplace. Make sure I have everything I need for the day. At 4:00, I did not yet have to worry about these things. I could enjoy myself a little even, and I did.
At 4:00, I felt alone. I use the term “alone” here in a positive manner. Even when I am alone during my normal days, I do not truly feel that way. There is always so much to do, so much to consider. When you get true alone time, take advantage of it. It is deeply, deeply refreshing. It was almost to the point of amazing how easy it was for me to create an outline for this chapter. At this time of day, it took less than five minutes. If I had waited until later, it would have been impossible. My mind would have been tangled with other things it thinks I should be doing. But this early in the day I was able to control that, having that buffer zone of time and comfort on my side. Combining the quiet, freshness of the mind, and the solitude of it all made me feel as if I was on another planet. I was on a planet where I could accomplish anything I wanted, at least for a couple of hours. Without the ability to find a better word, it was revitalizing. This extra hour also allowed me to extend my day. I had the time to do several items that usually would have been crammed into later in the day. Those things would have eliminated the ability to create, think, or laugh. The hour between four and five felt like the equivalent of a 24-hour day.
In my younger years, I would have felt differently about this. Being a military man for a chunk of my adult life, I have had more than a few 4:00 a.m. wake-ups. Those were not the same thing. Those were, let’s say, forced wake-ups, not chosen ones. Those were not refreshing or reinvigorating. In fact, I would likely consider most of my early wake-ups the opposite. If you woke me up at 4:00 when I was 19, I would have been perplexed as to why. Why would anyone in their right mind get up—and stay up—at that Godforsaken hour? At 29, I would have been a little more comfortable with it, yet still strongly disagree with the reasoning behind it. At those ages, my dog would have to wait. Maybe at 39, I am showing a little more compassion for other beings. But that could be its own chapter. At 39, I appreciated what those extra minutes meant and what they provided me. At 27, those thoughts would not have crossed my mind, even if I did wake up early.
At 39, I am thinking I need to make this a somewhat regular occurrence. I see the benefits to this and I love them. The way my brain felt at 4:00 was fantastic. Clear and ready. Highly functioning. The quiet felt good, both mentally and physically. I cannot explain the physical part, but I know it was there. I am trying not to think about how many of these moments I missed in previous years. If I had started this as a trend ten years ago, where would I be? Would it have had the same benefits as it does for the 39-year-old me? Likely not, I suppose. No need to dwell. If I enjoy the extra hour here and there during this year, I can squeeze a few more 24-hour spans—and a few more chapters—out of my 39th year. That sounds like a pretty damn good idea to me. I hope it does to you as well. Set that alarm. Listen to it.
-Houston Bailey (@BumpBailey)