No one willingly starts the day at 3am. Insomniacs toss and turn, searching for that elusive moment of respite from the waking world that seems only a myth. New parents bolt upright at the siren of a newborn’s shrill cry, sounding like an alarm in the night. Bakers and bus drivers and newscasters alike pound the snooze button on the alarm clock for just 5 more minutes before accepting their fates, duty bound to begin the daily hustle. 3am is an hour foreign to blissful sleepers comfortably immersed in a sea of dreams, swaddled in blankets, and fully unaware of the progression of time. It’s a blessing to never see those numbers glowing from the digital readout, one often taken for granted by the waking world.
4am turns greater numbers out of warm beds, thrust into consciousness with similar discord. Business begins to grind forward, travelers hustle to catch early flights, students lace up sneakers and set off on long commutes to class.
By the time 5am rolls around, life is in full swing. The sky begins to warm with the first signs of color, blushing red and pink before blossoming brightly to greet the commotion below. Coffee rouses millions more slumbering souls, perhaps more gently and easily now, convincing the sleep-starved that a few drops of caffeine might help make up. the difference.
It’s a new day by 6am. Those torn from comfort hours ago face the rapidly advancing clock with weariness; a weathered understanding that there’s still so much more time left to fill, even after so much had already come to pass. Turning to the sky, the sweetness of that sunrise, the one they watched grow from a pure black void, tastes far more satisfying than any breakfast could. Sometimes that’s the only morsel that continues to propel them forward.
3am is the time I set my alarm. I work Tues thru Sat, my schedule being 530a – 200p Mon thru Fri, and 545a – 215p on Sat. I rise that early to finish any few dishes from the previous night, put together my lunch, then walk to work. Soon, it will end as I am retiring and moving to Florida in July!! When I’m there I hope to “train” myself to not wake until 7am. I will greatly enjoy not knowing or caring what day of the week it is when I rise!
That’s brutal! Having done this only twice in the past week, I don’t know how you manage it on a regular basis. Congrats on nearing the end of that daily schedule though… You’ve certainly earned the chance to sleep in!
I love the photos as well as the sentiment. It gives a visual connection to your words and I love that “fly on the wall” perspective.
I love this piece :) Keep up the good work! I’m an early to rise (sometimes 3 AM) kind of person so I love this.
I choose to get up at 3am every day. I was tired of not being able to fit what I wanted to fit into my day. I have over 700 blogs in my RSS Feed reader and learn so much from them and I couldn’t find anywhere in my day to fit them in so I just decided to adjust my day. I now wake up at 3am and finish my RSS feed reader every day. I am informed, inspired and ready to go when most people are thinking about getting up. I love my early mornings and wouldn’t change them for the world. I get hours of ‘me’ time that feed my soul. I am a different person now that I gave up being a night owl (watching TV till 1 – 2am) and took up active learning in my mornings in the still and the dark where it’s just me and my thoughts.
You are a true inspiration. I tend to stay up late these days but I’m already so tired that I get precious little accomplished. I’m much more functional in the morning so I wish I could train myself to shift those hours! Still, 3am sounds awfully difficult to warm up to… I commend you for maintaining that schedule!
Great post and love the images. I can’t imagine 3AM, I’m hitting the snooze at 5AM for work. But who knows, I am gradually shifting to earlier mornings with early races on the weekend too.
I loved this