For a couple of decades I've been waking up very, very early in the morning to complete tasks that I needed good energy for. By the time night arrived, I didn't have enough energy left to complete desired tasks, but if I woke up anywhere from 2am to 5am, I could use that terrific early morning energy to complete those tasks. Life was a bit rushed during these decades because there was a lot to do. In my heart and soul, I needed to get someplace fast, and that place I was rushing to included positive teaching, parenting, relationship-nurturing, home care, political action, research, and so much more.
Just recently that early morning wake-up period of my life ended. I'm not longer in a rush, and for that, I'm thankful. I'm no longer in a rush because my children are grown, my teaching career is over, my political action has taken on a more steady pace, and my home, relationships, and other pursuits are more manageable during the common working hours of the day.
Do I regret the 20 or so years of early morning wake-ups. No, as I had to do that to achieve what I needed to achieve. Perhaps if I had a more reasonable work-life balance with greater support, I would not have had to trade good sleep/rest for work, but that wasn't the case, and I'm happy with what I achieved during those years--my sons had a good education, I did a very good job as an educator, and I was able to be a caring friend, family member, home owner, and political activist. That meant a lot to me.
Yet, I am ever so happy about this new stage of life. It's great to get a super night's sleep. It's awesome to wake up with a reasonable daily agenda, and I'm happy to say goodbye to the stress level of an early morning wake-up, rushed life.
What have I learned that led to this stage. First, good work and service takes time. Too often I tried to do much, thus causing stress and often resulting in unsatisfactory results because rushed work is typically not your best work. Next, I've finally learned the lesson that I'm not superhuman--I don't have to do it all because most jobs depend on teamwork. And, I'm becoming much more aware of the great diversity of perspectives out there--perspectives that impact life in countless ways. Sensitivity to those perspectives helps one to do good work in any endeavor.
From my earliest days, I had a lot of responsibility in life. Some of that responsibility was self-imposed and other was imposed by others, but nevertheless, I felt that responsibility day in and day out. I'm letting go of some of that as I move into this new stage--a slower, more intentional, caring stage of life. Onward.
