A WALK IN THE PARK

I am a morning person

I guess many of us could classify ourselves as either a “morning person” or a “night owl.” I fall into the first category.

I like getting up early in the morning and having plenty of time to enjoymy quiet house before I head off to work. Even on weekends, I don’t sleep in. On the flip side, I am not much for staying up late at night. In the evenings, it isn’t uncommon for me to nap on the couchbefore bedtime. My kids know that I am likely to be sleeping too soundly to hear my phone ring after 9 p.m.

A couple of Saturday mornings ago, however, I awoke earlier than usual. I raised my head and glanced across the room to the clock on the dresser: 4:16. That’s really early to get up, I thought, even for me. I waited awhile until I figured itwas around 5 a.m., and rolled out of bed, grabbed my robe and walked to the kitchen. I turned on the coffee maker, then tootled around the house and worked on the laundry for a while. Then, I went back to the kitchen and, with a fresh cup of coffee in hand, sat down at the bar and took my time reading over yesterday’s newspaper.

I figured Earl would be up before long, as we had planned to go to our cabin that morning. I was a little surprised he hadn’t stirred yet. I knew he’d want to get off as early as possible, so I decided to go ahead and take a shower so I would be that much closer tobeing ready to go. It was nice that I didn’t have to rush. Saturday mornings do have their perks.

Earl raised his head off his pillow when I turned on the blow dryer a few minutes later. “What are you doing?,” he asked.

“Getting ready to go here in a little while, when you get up,” I answered.

He looked at the clock, then back at me. “It’s 2:26,” he mumbled, staring at me with a confused, sleepy face.

Thinking he had made a mistake, I took another hard look. When I realized he was right, I felt silly and a little embarrassed. I wanted to explain to him that I had misread the clock with my first glance and that was enough to convince myself that it was morning. After that I never looked at the clockagain for the next two hours! But, he didn’t want to talk right then. He was headed back to sleep and said I should do the same.

So I tried. Damp headed and wired from two cups of coffee, I stared at the ceiling for awhile before my eyes got sleepy. I thought about how I would explain, after sunrise, that I am not as crazy as he thinks I am at this moment.

And, I also thought that I would, from now on, keep my eyeglasses on the night stand so I could read the clock before I got up.

Annette Rowe is a freelance writer from rural Gentry and a speech-language pathologist at Siloam Springs High School. She may be reached by email at [email protected].

Opinion, Pages 6 on 12/19/2012