5am

5am - Early morning. I wake to the sound of church bells ringing. Not that there is a church nearby that actually rings bells, it's just my alarm. The gongs slowly penetrate my dreams and pulls me from sleep. It's 5am, there is no reason for me to be awake, but I am. I could tell you that I wake this early to see my husband off to work, but that would be a lie. My husband has already arrived at work by the time I wake. When he gets up, I wake enough to mumble a goodbye and an I love you. 5am is all about me. My time. My hour and a half of no talking, no one needing something from me (correction the cat knows my routine and demands breakfast at that time, I don't mind because I have to wait for the coffee). I sit undisturbed for 60 blissful minutes. Not one "Ma!", not a single tattle being told, no one is hungry; it's just me and my coffee cup.
I'm sure you are thinking "Your kids are in school, you have eight hours of this, why wake early for it?" And that's true, to an extent, but after the sun rises I feel the need to be productive. Even if all I do is go laugh with friends. I have to feel like I've done something in the day. I have to make a list and check off the things I've accomplished. Waking at 5am, makes me feel powerful over the day. It's the guilt free time of day.