Despite my nighttime conviction to get up at 5 am, which frequently sounds like a good, perky idea before falling asleep, I was fully unprepared when the alarm went off this morning. By 5:01 I was halfway through Kubler-Ross’ five stages of grief, passing through denial, anger and bargaining while I attempted to hold onto the last vestiges of a dream.
The deal I was attempting to make with my alarm clock was physically impossible in terms of the time-space continuum. “Just five more minutes…” My clock merely laughed at the foolish mortal. “Time waits for no woman,” it reminded me. Then, I swear, it snickered.
As I don’t cotton to clock-snickering first thing in the morning, I managed to bury myself deep in a head cave for another half-hour, at which point my conscience declared a stalemate. The sleep-vs.-exercise ratio is a tough nut to crack, especially before breakfast. In the end, the run won out. Said breakfast is a lot tastier when I’ve carved out a calorie deficit in advance.
My dog loves our morning runs. I can tell, because I’ve anthropomophized him. A sideways cock of his shaggy head means “Really? I highly doubt that assertion, Chris!” rather than ”I’ve got a fly on my ear.” And the fact that he runs faster than me means he wants me to pick up my pace, instead of “Hey! I almost got away, this time!”
It’s amazing I still have two arms in the sockets, especially this week, when we’ve seen oodles of baby animals. My pound puppy just loves to chase other animals at top speed. Today he tried to catch two tiny robins, at least a half-dozen deer, a chipmunk and four bunnies–two of which were no bigger than a piece of Easter candy.
A four bunny run is pretty special. It may even be worth getting out of bed for.
Once upright, shoes double-knotted, at the acceptance stage of my morning–spotting a rabbit no bigger than my fist is a sweet reward for ripping myself out of R.E.M. Of course, last night I spent a full six hours dreaming that I was going to prison. So even without any baby animals at all, consciousness came as a bit of a relief.
Ah, but how much more glorious would that four bunny vision had been if it were seen during a stroll, a ramble. Having no dog, the sight would have escaped my notice were I running. As a strong advocate of the brisk sit form of exercise, I prefer a stroll through the woods wherein I can delight in all the wonders around me. Unless, of course, it’s raining, or too hot, or humid, or too cold, or it’s snowing, or Morpheus wins out.
Morning has always been a good time for me. However 5 AM is to close to reville in the Army and it brings on a host of other assorted memories. The sights described are wonderful. I see deer, bunnies, and of course, tree rats early in the AM.