Maybe I’ll Hold My Breath and Jump Right In
Do you ever find it difficult to climb out of bed? Let me start again. Do you ever find it difficult to climb out of bed, on a Saturday? One more time for good measure. Do you ever find it difficult to climb out of bed, on a Saturday, before – seven? As someone who isn’t, nor plans to be a morning person, this is a herculean task. Saturday mornings are for sleeping in. No alarm clock, no schedule to keep. No hustle followed by the inevitable bustle of the morning routine. Saturdays require no routine. Caution, it’s out there in the wind. The comforter someone how feels, yes more comforting on a Saturday morning.
It’s nice and cozy and should remain so on this late-to-rise day of the week followed by everyone’s favorite abbreviation, TGIF. Look for SIS coming soon. Sleep in Saturday. Hint, it also works for Sunday as well. Some Saturdays I feel like I’ve gotten enough rest but stay in bed – just because I can. I look forward each week to my sleep in day. I have another week of looking. This past Saturday I was up and out before I could even contemplate what was happening. As I think about it now, I was actually mobile before my normal work week. This, my friends, is no small feat.
My wife was on a mission. She was up before the dawn. No shock here. In the seven plus years I’ve known her, she has always been an earlier riser. Where I must climb out of bed – she springs out. Ready to go she’s checked her Facebook status and email just as the party goers from the night before are about to crash. No coffee, no tea – not yet anyway – she embraces the morning and the possibility of a new day. I’m still in awe, or mid yawn, as I normally roll back over and enjoy more slumber.
“Are you going with?” she said to me during my roll over. Oh crud, that’s right. This Saturday morning was dog groomer day for our two little ones. The little terror, I’m sorry terrier, who always gets up with my wife was circling the bed. Buddy was pumped up and ready to go. I don’t think he actually likes going to the groomer but he’d follow my wife anywhere. She managed to get our other dog up, Sydney, and a moment of quiet fell back over the room as they went downstairs for breakfast.
Almost enough time to fall back asleep – almost. Before I could return to never-never land the room was a flurry of activity. Sydney jumped up on the bed and started licking my face. This is her way of saying if I have to get up guess what, so do you. Buddy followed my wife into the bathroom for some teeth brushing, her. If I was going to get up it had to be now. With a heave and I’m pretty sure a push from Sydney I was up and on my feet. Minor miracle number one.
In my sleep induced haze I opened the bathroom door a little too quickly. Light, it was everywhere. The room has lights over the two counter sinks. Two light fixtures over the sunken bathtub. Another in the shower. All of them on and shinning bright, too bright. My hand quickly covered my eyes. Not to worry. I know the layout of this room well. Essentially blindfolded I navigated the floor and quickly found my way to the adjoining closet, missing the bathroom scale which could have really hurt my bare feet. Drat, that light was on as well. As previously noted, not to worry. I’ve trained for such instances. Black Friday comes to mind. Each year on that magical day, for my wife, we get up – even earlier than today – to head out for great shopping deals. Those training exercises have allowed me to move through the bathroom to the closet, pick out some clothes and emerge under cover of the night. Thank you Black Friday. On this Saturday morning, I got dressed and was downstairs and ready to go in five minutes – lights and all. Minor miracle number two.
To help with a busy schedule my wife dropped me at the local gym while she continued on with the hounds for their spa day. The gym is a relatively quiet place at six thirty on a Saturday morning. Oh, now I remember why. Everyone is sleeping in. Too late for that. If I was to do this it must be done right. I stepped up to the elliptical-style machine. I spent the next couple of minutes stretching as I was still trying to wake up. Finally, time for that last component before beginning the workout. Unzipping the little pouch from my gym bag I unraveled my headphones. Not any headphones, noise cancelling. Goodbye outside world, hello heavy Darth Vader style breathing. Locating a playlist from my phone I hit play and for the next thirty minutes I was sweating to the not so oldies. On a day when I didn’t want to get up and would have been happy to still be at home sleeping I finished that workout awake and alert. I would go so far to say I was happy to be up, out and enjoying life and what turned out to be one of the most gorgeous days in this young calendar year. I hadn’t even had my coffee yet. Huh, maybe there is something to this getting up early thing after all. Minor miracle number three.
