Waking up

They say that waking up is hard to do
Now I know, I know that it's true
Don't say that this is the end
Instead of waking up I wish that I were sleeping in again
(apologies to Neil Sedaka)


“Are you awake?”
“Uhm?”
“Are you awake? It’s 6:30 the girls are up I have to get going.”
“Oh yeah....Of course I’m...”
“I turning on all the lights”

I have a hard time waking up in the mornings. There is something about the time readout on the alarm clock that seems so unreal when my eyelids part after drifting back to sleep. “Got to be to work by 8:00, the clock reads 7:14.” I really should be freaking out by this point but some mornings I just can’t make my body get excited. “Okay...I’ll skip the shave, and sleep till 7:19. If I tie my shoes while driving I might be able to sleep till 7:23”

There are just so many factors working against you each morning. First line of defense for keeping you in bed, is the bed itself. We own a very comfortable bed. It’s a double pillow top. If there is anything I own that has the ability to get me fired, it’s my bed! This combined with my new bizarre dreams are two sure fire ways of keeping me beneath the covers. I have know what happens to the talking donut at the supermarket. I mean did he get eaten by the monkey in the suit or not?

They say you need a reason to get out of bed in the morning. On the weekdays those reason are really hard to come by. I can smell the coffee brewing and it’s nice. But the motivation isn’t enough to remove the sleeping glue from my eyes. It’s hard to not just surrender when your body is willing to glue your eyes shut every night to keep you happy. What is a person to do against such an enemy?!

I was talking about this with a co-worker. We were discussing ways to wake up. Everyone has a method. I heard tell that eating an apple is a better way to wake you up then drinking coffee. I doubt it. Even if it is true I don’t think I could fit an apple in my favorite coffee mug. My co- workers method was a bit more drastic.

Craig told me when he has to get up early, he drinks three glasses of water before going to bed at night. I imagine this works every time. Unless your not fast enough, in which case might I suggest a rubber mattress pad. The only downside I see are lots of dreams about the ocean, waterfalls, and bursting water balloons. A small price to pay for getting out of bed on time.

When it comes down to it I believe it is a matter of will. If you have the will you can get up on time. If you are more like me you will neglect your duties or hygiene for another minute or two of sleep. Either way you have to admit that waking up is hard to do.

11 comments:

Roberta said...

I'm right there with ya! This morning was especially difficult. While my bed is often the cause, it's not for the same reason. More often than not it feels like I've been sleeping on cobblestone all night and haven't really slept at all. I look at the clock in disbelief; I could only have been asleep for twenty minutes! How Ry sleeps like a stone, I'll never know.

Santa, all I really want for Christmas is a pillowtop mattress!

Ando said...

Waking up rates somewhere between sour cream and the Oakland A's as things I hate most in life. My aversion to it is well documented. Now that we have TV again, I find it even harder to get out of bed when I can lay there in the cozy sheets and watch Saved By The Bell every morning.

Peter Brown said...

Roberta -

I understand that too. There is almost something worse about spending the night tossing and turning then having to get up and not be refreshed.

I want to just throw my coffee in the face of all the cheerful morning people on those days.

Peter Brown said...

Ando-

I remember when we had an external influence on my television, waking up to the food channel was always a good way to get me up. Nothing like a little hunger pain to wake you up.

Of course they were making banana walnut pancakes and I was having a piece of dry toast...

J Crew said...

I actually like getting up early. It makes the day longer. Though I will say that waking up at 5:30 am on Tuesdays and Wednesdays is a bit troubling. OK, it's a lot troubling!!

Stephanie said...

There is almost no sound worse than the alarm going off in the morning - you are so right - waking up is HARD to do!!!!!! I am great at staying up late - it is the getting up that is the problem!

Peter Brown said...

J Crew-

I'm not sure what it is but I don't mind waking up when it's for something I want to do. But getting up knowing your going to be working all day...it hard. The last thing I want is for it to last longer.

Either way I'm impressed, and completely confounded by your good attitude.

Peter Brown said...

SJ -

My first year in college I scheduled an 7:30 class. I sometimes would just stay up all night so I would actually make it to my math course.

Not that I passed it, but at least I was there...

Anonymous said...

IKEA's clock, I have one myself... THAT THING ringing in the quiet of the morning it's a good reason to get up and throw it through the window.

Peter Brown said...

Lilith-

I completely agree.

The clock is one of the few inanimate objects that I can say I really have animosity towards.

There is just something about it's function that begs to be hated. Sort of like a dentist.

jenylu said...

Theme verse at the Rowlands house:

If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning,
it will be taken as a curse.

Proverbs 27:14