Why I became a morning person

The simple truth is I didn’t have much choice. First off, I don’t believe whether you’re a night owl or a morning person is baked into one’s DNA. In college, I could barely get out of bed in time to make my 9am chemistry class. These days, I’m usually up by 5am and try to fit at least one, sometimes two, workouts in before my son gets up by 7:30am or so. This part of one’s identity, like any other part of your identity in truth, is tied to one’s habits and, as habits change, so can this part of your identity.

My first adult journey as a morning person was when I became a teacher. I was shipped down to Houston, Texas just a couple weeks after college graduation—without any prior teaching education—to join the Teach for America program. I endured an intense bootcamp throughout the summer. My indoctrination continued well into my first year of teaching during which I was driven by fear of failing my students and a woeful lack of preparation. I was often the first one to school in—making friends with the custodial staff was a job requirement—some days arriving several hours before the morning bell. I recall frantic 5am trips up and down the aisles at Walmart searching for school supplies to supplement the lesson plan I’d dreamt up the night before. I did my best to make up for my lack of experience by milking every waking moment of my day figuring out how I would survive tomorrow.

Thankfully my current morning habit is no longer based in fear. These days, I’ve rediscovered my morning self to realize my potential in triathlon as a parent. Practically speaking, there’s only a small window of time for me to fit in training everyday. So I can either take advantage of the wee hours or perhaps let go of my athletic dreams.

I’m not ready to let go just yet, so I better get to bed early tonight.

Photo by Raul Petri on Unsplash