so this week i started my new nanny gig
working for friends of mine
(bliss)
with a sweet little boy who's just.barely.1
(precious)
and a start time of 6 am
(not so blissful or precious!)
it's been a long time since i routinely got up at 5 am. scratch that. i've never routinely been up at 5 am. when i was teaching i'd get up around 6:30 or 7...nannying for the family who will not be mentioned had me getting up at 6 or a few moments til.
thankfully, jes and michael live less than 15 minutes from me. so i leave between 5:40 and 5:50 on monday, wednesday and friday mornings. (tuesday and thursday are spent catching up on errands, working for other clients, or teaching at the studio)
i'm a night owl by body clock. i've always loved staying up later than the norm, and rarely had a problem getting up at a regular (and somewhat early) time.
although in the last couple of years, routine has gone out the window. i've had flexibility with some jobs, had to be at others around 8 or 9 am, and still others dragged on after midnight.
so i sort of welcome this return to a normal schedule, even though "normal" for me is going to be rather difficult to transition into.
here are 10 things i'm learning about myself, and about life before 6 am
1. right now, my body refuses to sleep when i go to bed earlier than my norm. i've been shooting for 11 pm or so, hoping to transition to 10 or 10:30 when my body becomes used to 11...but currently i literally stare at the ceiling or shift restlessly for a couple of hours.
(i stick to midnight or so on the days i don't have to get up at 5...just because i can actually go.to.sleep then)
2. i love leaving the house before 6. mainly because all the stoplights on my route are turned on precisely at 6, so i don't have to stop at all on my way! hooray for blinking traffic lights...
3. i wake up earlier on my days "off" 6:30 this morning, with an alarm set for 7:30. go figure.
4. i'm kind of excited about that. i see morning runs/walks/hikes in my future on tuesdays and thursdays. or at least wiifit
5. there's something about waking up before the sun--or right as it's brimming--that feels powerful and right
6. i can still veg out like i used to between 9 and midnight. it just comes earlier in the evening, or in the afternoon when i get off.
7. i get off at 2:30. which is awesome. some days i have to teach at the studio after i'm off, but most days i can run to the grocery before the general public gets off, or go home with no rush hour traffic, or go meet a friend at the pool.
8. i actually (most of the time) have more energy for the day.
9. i'm beginning to eat breakfast...something i've never, ever done on a regular basis before in my life. not when i was in school...not when i was teaching...not when i nannied.
10. the baby takes a morning nap, which is my savior right now while i get used to my new bedtime. right now, i take a nap too. hopefully as i begin falling asleep when i actually go to bed *i* can drop the nap...but it's always nice to know it's an option!
have any of you transitioned like this? any tips for me?
No comments:
Post a Comment