Lark or owl?

Someone from Europa asked me not long ago, "Are you a lark or an owl?" I wasn't sure what he was asking.  He explained that he wanted to know if I preferred to get up early, or stay up late?  Neither, and both, I answered.  The truth is, I'd prefer to never sleep, if I had the choice, always seeing the sun both rise and set.  The actuality is that in an effort to carpe diem I rarely get to bed early, and that leaves me hanging onto the covers as long after the alarm rings as I can possibly get away with.


I should have learned my lesson in kindergarten.   Our teacher would religiously ask us to pull our cots out every day at lunch so that we could have our 45 minute snooze, lights-out style, right after lunch.  This was a time of unabated HELL for little Wendy, one of the youngest and most unruly in my grade at that tender age.  I would lay there watching everyone else nap away, peacefully, while I did everything I could to amuse myself for the duration of that great hated afternoon trial. I got in trouble for all sorts of novel anti-boredom devices I concocted, everything from making noise, playing with any toys I could manage to sneak under my blankie, and irritating my neighboring nappers just for entertainment, especially those with long hair that hung over their cots.  Those of you who went to kindergarten in my class will not remember any of this, because you were sound asleep while I watched you dream, unless you were one of the targets of my amusement. 


The inevitable eventually occurred, somewhere around March of my kindergarten year, when my teacher gave up on making me "rest" at nap time. She pulled me up to her desk, to sit right next to her where she could keep a close eye on me.  She encouraged me to do (rather than throw) puzzles, color within the lines, look at books, and generally become the teacher's pet, all previously undiscovered concepts in my elementary brain.  I learned some valuable lessons, and contrary to the predicted outcome written on my first three kindergarten report cards, eventually learned to like school and academics, all because I hated to nap.  In the end, my ability to forego sleep was reinforced, as was my desire to read and learn (no comment on behave).  


Hey, it all worked out, for the most part, except not on a day like today.  The ol' alarm went off this morning, I think, but I slept right through it.  When I did get up I had to get right to work, no morning run.  Instead I took a deep breath and hit the trail late this very hot/humid afternoon, and made it through.  All I can say is that tomorrow, I *will* get up earlier.  :)


Até amanhã...


7/6/11 - 2.0 miles | 23 mins | 5.0 mph | 230 kcal