So my driving didn’t exactly go according to plan, and I
ended up wayyyyyy behind schedule. I was planning to stay overnight with other
friends, but it turned out that I just wasn’t going to get far enough down the
road in time – so I texted to apologize. Instead of trying to make my intended
destination (where I would have arrived after midnight), I decided to just see
how far I could get.
I drove for a few
more hours, until I was starting to get drowsy, and ended up in Topeka about
midnight. I grabbed my phone to find a cheap hotel to crash in – but every
hotel was booked. Literally. And really expensive. What does Topeka have that
is such a draw? Nothing that I could find on any website. But I was too tired to drive any further, and
I have learned to not push my limits. It had been a fun but rather long day –
and I knew I couldn’t go any further without at least closing my eyes for a few
minutes – so that’s exactly what I did. Since I couldn’t find a hotel (for
under $250/nite, and a “cheap” motel at that) I pulled off at a truck stop,
found a safe place to park, and try to get comfortable so I can close my eyes.
And although my
Smart Car is very comfortable to drive, it is the opposite-of-comfortable to
try to stretch out and get a few winks. You can’t lay the seat back more than
just a few inches – and even with a pillow, there is just no way to get
comfortable. I tried squinching down in the seat. I tried stretching across
into the passenger seat. All attempts at Car Yoga trying different positions
failed. There is just no way for a big tall long-legged person to try to get a
comfortable nap in a Smart Car. So I propped a pillow against the door and
tried to sleep sitting up.
Now I don’t usually
get more than about 4-hours of sleep at night anyway, but I must’ve been
especially tired. I managed to get just over 3-hours, sitting-upright and
totally-uncomfortable in my car. Yet I felt totally refreshed!
So at 4 a.m. I was
wide-awake and raring to go – off I headed again. This time, headed for Kansas
City.
To say that I am
not a morning person is an understatement. I hate mornings! HATE! But somehow
this particular morning at 4 a.m. – after sleeping in an uncomfortable car, and
without any of my usual creature comforts – I felt great! It felt great to be
up and going that early. And I got to do something that I rarely do – I got to
watch the sun come up. I can’t exactly say that I got to see the sunrise,
because you can’t really see the horizon when everything around you is flatland
and bushy trees. But it was pretty invigorating to watch the morning sky start
to lighten and brighten – and to watch the day begin.
My Dad was a
Morning Person. Up every morning at 5:30 a.m. – without even needing an alarm
clock. He would get up, read scriptures and other books for a few hours, start
a fire in the fireplace on chilly mornings – all before Mom or Fran or I even
started hitting the snooze button. And this morning, I started to understand
why. There is something revitalizing about getting ahead of the day – and
having some time to yourself to do those extra “feed your soul” activities.
I don’t know that
I’m going to start getting up early every morning – but I think I’ll start
doing it once-in-a-while. To be there to enjoy the sun rise. To listen as the
birds and other creatures start their morning songs. To watch as the sleeping
world awakens to a beautiful new day. To take a few minutes before the rush of
life takes over to appreciate the amazing blessings of each and every day.
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