Hoot-who else is not a morning person?

I read somewhere that "Motivation is desire putting on work clothes." (Anonymous) Today is one of those days where I think I'd really rather stay in my PJ's. I have loads to do and my motivation level is needing a cup of coffee. Black coffee. And I don't even like it black.

I thought that with a week's vacation, I'd develop some sort of better sleep pattern. You know, early to bed, early to rise and all that. Somehow though, I am still late to bed, late to rise and it frustrates me. Why, oh why, wasn't I made to be a natural morning person? I'd feel like I could accomplish more in a day that way. Why is that, do you think?

Regardless, I am not a morning person. I do my best sleeping between 2:00am and 9:00 or 10:00am. I am productive after lunch (or in my case, breakfast since I get up so late) until I feel guilty making noise when everyone else in the house is trying to sleep. I think I am part-owl. Maybe not a wise owl, but an owl nonetheless.

...and I kinda look that way before my coffee....

I always feel bad when I read in Proverbs about the woman who gets up before her household and gets soooo much done, or the person who is a sluggard because they sleep in. I feel like there is a stamp on my forehead that says, "Lazy Night Owl".  Why can't I be the way I think I should be?

Or did God make me the way I am for a reason? Is this just a season for me? I am a nurse who works night shift. What if no one wanted to work that shift? Would the sick people just stop being sick for 12 hours or would the ER close down for the night? That's not to say that at 4:00 in the morning, when I am at work, that I don't long to be at home, in bed asleep. But, it does say that I am able to do it because my body is wired to be more of a night owl kind of person.

The day may come when I am able to get up early without having a truck roar through the bedroom to wake me up, but until then, I may just need to accept that I am who I am. I know that on the days that I don't accept that, I am grouchy because I feel guilty that I am not the perfect "up at the crack of dawn" woman. On those days, I do not behave at all like the Proverbs 31 woman. My children do not wish to "rise up and call me blessed".

That being said, it doesn't mean that I shouldn't try to change things that I'd like to change. Maybe, though I need to be okay that it doesn't happen all at once. And that the hours I keep aren't going to be what is remembered about me ( at least I hope not!) What matters is what I do with the time that I am awake. Whether it is 7am-10pm or 10am-2am.

Hoot Hoot,
Dianne