In the world, I believe that there are two kinds of people, early birds and night owls and I fall very much into the first category. I love early mornings and can get through a huge amount of work before the rest of the world wakes up and since the dawn of the digital age, I can rattle off a load of e-mails before 6am with little chance of immediate responses. I am at my most creative at that point in the day and I guess that it is easy to understand why I start nodding off during the evenings.
My youngest daughter and I go for a walk at 7am every morning (unless it is thrashing down with rain) and that early morning experience sets me up for the day. In the past, I have walked alone, but it is so much better to have somebody to chat to, to share my thoughts and listen to her concerns when there is no TV, internet or telephones invading our time. Read articles by mental health specialists and they will tell you that a good walk is possibly the best medicine we need for our mental wellbeing, my job can often be quite stressful and I truly believe that a combination of the walk and the conversation make a significant difference to my life and mental attitude.
My Dad used to cycle to work in the mill early on a morning sometimes, then cycle home for his breakfast, I can remember him coming insometimes out of breath and say “the air’s thin this morning” and I never really understood what he meant. This week has been very cold at 7am and Thursday morning as we set out the temperature was sub zero degrees and I started to understand what my Dad meant all those years ago as I found myself getting quite breathless, but despite that, walking in the dark around the estate near where we live, seeing lights going on in houses as people are waking up to face the new day is a magical experience.
I find this time of the year particulalry special as we set off in the darkness, always walking the same circuit and as we arrive home, dawn is just starting to break. I know that as the days and weeks pass, gradually that experience will change and before very long, we will be setting off in the daylight and possibly walking in shorts and t shirts rather than being wrapped up against the cold.
We are reminded again that as we celebrate the Christmas story, we often use the illustration of the light of Christ coming into a darkened world. As a Christian, I enjoy seeing people illuminating their homes during the Christmas season, many these days to excess, but whether they know it or not, they are bringing light into a darkened world, we light candles to signify the light of Christ.
I’m glad that I am a morning person and have the experience of seeing the light dawning in the world most days, granting us a fresh opportunity to make the most of the hours of daylight, the hours of work and the time of recreaction. I can recommend early mornings, unless of course, you are a night owl, then you might think I’m mad!