Monday, September 24th, 2012
Central Park East - 6:45am

Good morning!  I feel that some of my friends think that I like getting up early in the morning.  There is a lot about this that is true.  I like to see beautiful sunrises, like the one pictured above.  I like doing something that makes me feel special - to be up and around at a time of day that I consider to be a bit more poetic or sacred.  I like being one of the only ones out (believe me, in NYC, you value solitude a LOT).  I like knowing that I did something good for my dogs and for me.

But, this statement "like" needs a little clarification!

....

That minute that my alarm goes off is no easier for me than for anyone else.  It's like that every morning, too.  When that alarm goes off - my first thought is:  "For the love of God let my alarm be malfunctioning.  It can not POSSIBLY be time to get up.  It must be 3am.  My bed is so cozy and warm.  Oh shit it actually is correct.  What type of wizardry can I orchestrate such that I don't start off my day late and have to rush around, while still getting another 2 hours of sleep?  When is the next foreseeable moment of this day that I can go back to sleep?  I'll give myself 15 more minutes."

That's about how it goes.

But nobody....NOBODY in the HISTORY OF MANKIND has felt better or more rested after 15 minutes of sleep-in time.  

Here's an explanation of how I feel when I wake up in the morning, done eloquently by the comedian, Louis CK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEBy3sKTG-c
*Warning - this is most definitely offensive if you have sensitive sensibilities.  I, on the other hand, find it fu*king hilarious

So then I get up.  I go in to the bathroom with only about as much coordination as is necessary to brush my teeth.  I blink painfully into the light, and rub my eyes, and wander around trying to find something to put on - because I will never get it together to put my clothes together the night before.  I get the dogs leashes and harnesses on, which is annoying in the dark.  Then I carry Bear's increasingly heavy body out because I don't trust him not to pee in the hallway of the apartment building yet.  It's at this point that their energy has begun to wear off on me.  I whisper to them "Are you ready to go to the PARK?"  And they wiggle and wag and snort.

Then I walk out the door and I'm cured.  I'm no longer aching for my warm sheets.  I'm thankful that I won the battle another day so that I could be a part of the early morning crew.  So that I can pass the guys brewing coffee in the lunch trucks, see the sunrise, nod hello's at the runners, and feel cool dew soak through the mesh of my shoes on to my socks.

Have a wonderful day!