Morning People

I need a lot of time in the morning to make myself ready for sociability of any kind. On the days when I teach, I get up at six in the morning because I need at least three hours before I'm ready to communicate with students or anybody else. This doesn't depend on when I wake up. I just need a lot of time to go into the fully awake mode. Unless I'm allowed to spend my three + hours in the morning in a happy self-absorption and silence, I will find it very difficult to walk into the classroom at 9:30 am in a fully functional mode.

As much as I try to explain this to people, though, they never seem to understand. Family members, friends, colleagues, students, people on the bus and in the coffee-shop persecute me with their morning chirpiness. For some reason, everybody seems to be eager and willing to engage in loud animated discussions with me in the morning. 

For me, the hours between midnight and 3 am are the time when I'm alert, active, sociable, and willing to communicate. I understand, though, that most people do not feel like socializing at that time. I respect this and abstain from calling them on the phone to share my midnight talkativeness with them.

While we, the night people, are always considerate with the morning folks, they never return the courtesy.