I’ve never been a morning person.
Waking up has always been one of the harder parts of my day, and I typically roll out of bed with just enough time to get ready before I’m rushing out the door. And, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the most pleasant person to be around in the mornings. Until I’ve been awake for a few hours and have had some coffee, I’m pretty unwilling to socially engage with those around me. Ever since I was young, my ideal schedule would be to stay up late into the night and then sleep well into the morning.
But I’ve recently noticed how it’s affecting my moods and energy levels. Now that I’m in college, I always run the risk of sleeping through something important (like class). On the weekends, it impacts how much homework I can get done when I don’t wake up until 2 o’clock in the afternoon. And it’s unfair to my friends who want to hang out with me, but have to wait until the early evening when I’m free.
Plus, on the rare occasion that I do wake up early, it’s obvious how much better my days are. When I can take an hour to drink some coffee, write in my journal, and spend some time with myself before rushing off to school and work, I always find a heightened sense of energy and motivation. Having a few moments of TLC in the mornings sets the tone for a more productive and driven day, rather than when I wake up late and race out the door.
So, for a whole week I thought I would challenge myself to wake up and watch the sunrise every morning! Easy, right?!
My college, Loyola University Chicago, is situated on the west shore of Lake Michigan, which provides stunning views of the sunrise over the water. Right on the shoreline is a path with benches and trees, which lends itself to an unbeatable vantage point. It’s about a ten minute walk from my apartment, so the plan was to wake up 30 minutes before sunrise each morning, make myself some coffee to-go, and then walk down to the lake.
Immediately, I realized what a challenge this week was going to be. Waking up is already hard, but waking up at 6, when there’s no sunlight to coax me out of my bed?! Nearly impossible. I also hadn’t accounted for how busy I was going to be during the week of my experiment. It meant that I was still pulling some pretty late nights, but also trying to wake up hours earlier than what I was used to.
The first morning arrived with me waking up to look out my window and marvel at how pretty the pale blue sky looked. Then I sat straight up and realized that if the sky was already a pale blue, I must have slept in! After a desperate search for my phone, I realized that it was already 7, which meant that the sun had risen half an hour ago. While I did strongly consider calling it a loss and snuggling back under my covers, I begrudgingly talked myself into going out by the lake nevertheless.
I didn’t get a view of exploding pinks and golds as the sun rose, but I was greeted by a gorgeous blue sky. And as I sat and drank my coffee, the sun caressed my face in a warm glow. There was a gentle breeze that would run across my skin every once in a while, and a flock of ducks floated near me, keeping me company as I sat in thought. It set the tone for my week, and motivated me to continue with my experiment.
The following mornings got easier as I started to wake up at a consistent time and actually make for the sunrise. I would alternate between watching the colors shift and dance across the water and sky in tandem, and writing in my journal.
There is an added element on watching the sun rise up over the water. Not only are the colors amplified as they glow on the lake, but the water itself gives the each morning its own unique feeling. One morning I saw Lake Michigan reflecting back the colors on the calmest water I’ve ever seen. As I left that day, I reminisced on the sense of peace that I saw both on the water and within myself looking out onto it. On another morning, large waves crashed onto the shore, pushed along by strong gusts of air. When I closed my eyes and let the wind whip the spray from the waves onto my face, it reminded me of the windy shoreline of Rabat, Morocco, where I had been living last semester. It made me feel as though I was back on the Atlantic ocean – an unforgettable moment.
Besides the view in front of me, there was an unexpected bonus happening beside me as well. As you watch the sunrise along Loyola’s shoreline, there are people out on morning runs, babies being pushed in their strollers, and plenty of dogs being walked. For a girl who misses her own dog, it was soothing to be in the presence of so many adorable pets every single morning.
Forcing myself to go and sit by the lake for an hour also forced me into taking time to relax.
I’m a huge fan of music, so every morning I made sure that I had my headphones with me. While I realize the benefit of sitting in the silence of dawn and listening to nature, there’s always been something about music that makes me feel most calm. And for this week, I wanted to feel that sense of peace to its fullest. The playlist I would listen to was filled with soft singing and softer guitar, which helped both wake me up and ease me into the day. Some of my favorite sunrise songs included, “Lean Back” by Capital City Music, “River” by Leon Bridges, “I Will Never Find Another You” by Cody Simspon, and “Back In My Body” by Maggie Rogers.
I also never left my apartment without my journal. This past spring, I discovered that journaling was the best way for me to sort out my thoughts, motivate myself, and sooth any frazzled emotions. Throughout the spring semester and into the summer, I was journaling at least once a day. But, with the start of school, the amount of time that I could devote to journaling really began to slip. I found myself only logging one entry a week. Now, on the edge of the lake, with the sun kissing my cheeks, I finally had time to pick up my pen once more. It was a full hour where I could sit with all of my own thoughts.
Overall, the entire experience was therapeutic.
Going into this challenge, I figured that I would enjoy myself, but I didn’t realize just what an impact it would make on my week. I began each day feeling relaxed and jazzed for the rest of my day. I had more energy, and was able to power through the morning classes that typically leave me feeling sleepy and lethargic. And I found myself happier and more willing to engage with those around me. Perhaps by taking time for myself, I was able to fully devote my remaining time to others.
As the semester continues and my days get busier, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to keep up with daily sunrise viewing parties. But, now that I know all of the ways in which it gives me peace and clarity, it’s not going to slip back out of my life. This was a week that I was initially apprehensive about, but ultimately so grateful for. Sometimes, I forget that when life gets stressful, the grind gets intense, and things just never seem to slow down, I can make it slow down. Just for an hour each morning.
And that’s the other thing I realized. It doesn’t have to be a sunrise. You can find your own way to take some time to care for yourself. By carving out time, each day, for what makes us happy, life can get a lot more fulfilling.
So if you’re out on Loyola’s lakeshore path in the mornings and you see a blonde girl with giant headphones and a journal, soaking in the glow of the sunrise, feel free to say hi. We can chat about the sun and how delicious coffee is. And how lovely life can be, if we just stop for a moment to look.