Early Riser

For years I’ve regularly woke up between 3am and 5am to start my work day. At several different points in my career I would work until 1am, sleep for a few hours and be back at work at 5am. Looking back now I can see that this schedule was ego driven. I could physically and mentally handle it and I liked the “wow you’re focused / driven / competitive / dedicated / crazy” comments I’d receive when people would hear of my schedule.

As I’ve slowly learned the spiritual lesson that working more is not necessarily better, my work schedule has shrunk back into the realm of normalcy. Within the last year the last bit of my excessive work schedule has fallen away as I cancelled all 6am work meetings and set my alarm clock to not even ring until 7am.

Sleeping in has been delightful. However, I quickly swung the pendulum quite opposite of my early rising habits. Waking at 7am or later I’d shuffle around the house, slowly getting my day in gear…. there may have even been days I didn’t get fully dressed until after noon, although I’m not confirming that fact.  

Somehow I don’t think that was exactly the right choice of how to use my time. You see, we have things we are supposed to be doing with our time. Personal prayer, helping our families, spreading emuna, studying Torah… the list goes on of good and purposeful uses of our time. I wasn’t accomplishing any of those things in either of my patterns. When I was working so much, I certainly wasn’t focused on getting to know the Creator. When I gave that up I became more interested in how many hours sleep I was getting than I was in morning time personal prayer.

Thankfully, Hashem doesn’t let us spend too much time going down a wrong path before He sends us messages to correct our course. The more tuned into these messages we are, the softer He can send them. The more wrapped up in our own thoughts and decisions, the louder the messages become in order to wake us up. He loves us and doesn’t want us living in ways that are not in alignment with our mission in life.

Hashem sent a very effective messenger to figuratively and literally wake me up. It’s taken me months to get the message though. Seriously, sometimes it takes me a looooonnnnngggg time to learn the lesson.

You see, for a while after I decided not to go to work so early in the morning, I was making good use of my mornings. My alarm would go off at 7am, often I was awake and active before that. I’d get dressed, make breakfast for my family, have some time for personal prayer and journaling, then get started on work. But it didn’t take too long before 7am turned into 7:15 or 7:30. Breakfast turned into a “scavenge for yourself” affair and I’d regularly start work significantly later than planned.

As soon as these sloth-like behaviors took hold, my messenger from Hashem showed up. My son, who has consistently slept until about 7:45am for all 6 years of his life began waking up between 5am and 6:30am. I have spent months trying to figure this out as I groan and complain that my alarm isn’t even close to going off when he taps my arm until I wake up. We tried different bed time routines, different morning routines, different combinations of routines – nothing has worked. He keeps waking up… and waking me up.

Recently, as I laid in bed one night thinking about how I was sure (once again) I would not get to sleep until my alarm went off, the lesson dawned on me. I was not making good use of my morning time and, on top of that, my attitude in the mornings was terrible. I had gone from a chipper and happy 5am riser to a grumbling 7am riser.

Thank you Hashem! If I can rise super early for ego-driven work goals with a great attitude, I can certainly rise somewhat early, in a great mood, for time with Hashem and family. Bingo!

So, my alarm is still set for 7am. My son is still waking me up before that. But my attitude and my use of those beautiful morning hours is steadily improving. Overall I call that a win.

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Jennifer invites you to participate in a regularly held Noahide on-line study group that reviews the garden series books of Rabbi Arush. You can contact her at jenniferjwoodward@gmail.com to be added to the weekly newsletter for dates and times. Visit the blog at noahidenews.blogspot.com