I'm not a morning person and I prefer to ease into my day after staying up late the night before. My internal clock is set to go to bed at night around 11:30 or midnight, after watching a few more minutes of a movie or reading one last chapter of a good book. I'm also prone to insomnia and there have been plenty of mornings where I listened to the birds chirping outside, not because of an early alarm clock, but because I never went to sleep the night before.
However, there are times when I happily wake up early for fun reasons, such as a race. I don't have a problem because my excitement propels me out of bed. Aside from my dog Frank, I have the downstairs to myself as I gather my gear, drink my coffee, listen to the quiet and watch the sun rise.
One of my other favorite places to be in the early morning is the Regional Market on Saturdays. I really enjoy the energetic atmosphere. Everyone is supporting our local farmers and vendors with loaded up reusable shopping bags full of healthy fruits and vegetables. Some days my family goes with a grocery list, other times we wander along the rows just to see what is available. My kids are allowed to bring a couple of dollars each to buy Pokemon cards or gaudy blue nail polish.
My brother-in-law has a produce stand and sometimes I'll help him out, which calls for a 6 a.m. wake up, and is a whole different experience. Most shoppers who come along are focused, some are chatty, such as the gentleman who explained to me how to make ketchup, and some are picky. On a recent cold rainy Saturday everyone seemed to be making chili or soup, and the onions and carrots sold out rather quickly.
My husband and kids did the shopping on their own that day, and I came home to a kitchen counter heaped with the last of the peaches and silver queen corn of the season, zucchini, heirloom tomatoes, cauliflower, ash ripened goat cheese and something called a Kohlrabi, which is a cross between a turnip and cabbage.
Before we even started to eat all that bounty, I felt healthier just by looking at it!