Early to bed
Early to rise
Makes a man healthy,
Wealthy and wise

That's what my dad always used to tell me. Not sure if it's entirely true, but I can say that I get more out of a day when I'm early to rise. For me that means about 6 AM, and it's really unusual, but the last few days I've been doing it. I think my inspiration came from the one line that stuck with me out of Hitch, he says "Wake up each morning like it was on purpose."

Okay, so it's corny and quoting the pop movie of the week is a little flakey. Still, I take inspiration from anywhere that I can get it. It's not easy for me to remember anything in those wee hours when I'm still fighting off consciousness, so if something comes to me to beat back the warm grizzly bear grip of slumber, then I'm gonna go with it. I've always been a night owl but I've never liked the feeling that I wasted perfectly good hours of the morning on sleep. I think it goes with the Ikea-laden sets and free-wheeling, spendthrift, no-day-job-having, full-of-energy, no-worries lifestyle illustrated in movies like Hitch. It really gets to me and to the heart of what I must think of as successful. I felt good when I was in university full time because I had control of what I did during the day. Even though there was that schedule of classes that the faculty kind of expected me to attend. I felt good because I saw a lot of potential in my future and, being a professional, I just expected that in some non-descript future day I'd have more of the same type of time to take care of my needs. To go outside during the day. To get some sun.

Growing up, my father's business was next-door to our house. My mother worked there as well. I wasn't familiar with the reality of going to work and being out of reach all day long. When I wanted to see my parents at work, I'd walk across the alley. I think that built something in to me so that I'm not comfortable being away from home all day long. Luckily I do at least have a flexible schedule that I can rearrange if need be. I can make phone calls and things like that at work. I can go out for lunch. I realize that some people have it worse than I do, but that doesn't really comfort me.

I guess I'm just saying that I feel refreshed being able to leave work early since I got up early. It puts me in a good mood. It makes me feel more like those Ikea movie sets and lets me feel good about believing in clichés.