Up Early?

This morning I was rather surprised when my Anne got up at our normal time, 4:30 AM and instead of putting on jogging apparel instead got into the shower. I was assuming she had to get to work early or something. So as she is putting the finishing touches to her hair and makeup I ask the obvious do you know that it is early? My Anne’s response was ahhhhh because she thought it was an hour later and she was going to rush to have to get to work. So we instead took the dogs for a walk, got her lunch ready afterwards and she left on time as usual.

It is always amazing what happens when you get up early and have a pro-active mindset versus waiting for someone or thing to get you. This morning as I am sitting at my Starbucks getting ready to write this blog and do e-mail I overhear two guys that are teachers start talking about their situations. I quickly jump into the conversation about life and school and start talking about what we do. All of a sudden Mark, who is rather tall and overshadowing, becomes a friend who is quick to echo my experience of working with teens in the hood.

Scott, the other teacher, starts talking about his teen daughter who is going to an alternative type of charter school and wants something different of better. We end up talking about schools and overall life issues for about 15 minutes. As I step back and think about why I get up early I would have missed these guys, who I do see everyday but hadn’t actually talked to them before. So now I have two new friends, Mark and Scott. I also know that Scott especially will consider getting involved with some of his teens from Chavez who need community service.

I know that Jesus must have driven his disciples crazy when it came to his schedule. They would get up at the normal time and have this paniced look that maybe he had left them or gone back to heaven because he was no-where to be found. Jesus understood the importance of being on top of life and not letting circumstances control you. I know that there have been many books written about the tyranny of the urgent. It is too easy to let the little things in life blind you to the more important things. I love the book “Good to Great”. I know that it is easy for me to get sidetracked with doing good things that aren’t necessarily the best.

I have some friends who will ask don’t you ever sleep in or take a vacation from getting up so early. Yeah, we do get some rest and relaxation but usually our bodies are so programed that we still wake up by 5:30 or 6. I so much enjoy the early morning time to think, plan and just meditate on the Word or good things. It has been so much fun befriending the baristas at my Starbucks. This would never happen if I decided to come in at 8:30 when it is so busy.

Yes the early bird does catch the worm and those who snooze do loose is a fact of life. So why not catch the worm and why not win by simply being there on time!