Throughout high school, I considered myself a stereotypical morning person. I would literally jump out of bed every morning when my alarm went off and I would race across the room to turn it off. Now, my alarm clock sits right next to my bed and I don’t hesitate to hit the snooze button. I lie in bed contemplating what changed since then (could it just be the position of the alarm clock?) and calculate how long I can stay in bed before I risk being late for crew practice.
When I finally stand up, I am struck by how frigid the room is in contrast with the warmth of my bed. I check the weather application on my phone and dress for the temperature. I go with layers because while it is freezing on the water before the sun comes up, it tends to feel too warm for my sweatshirt towards the middle of practice. I usually end up looking like a fashion disaster because I get dressed in the dark and it’s hard to distinguish between the colors in the navy-black-blue-grey realm. I consider myself lucky when my socks match. I avoid turning on the lights because I would rather not wake up my roommates, who both appear to be soundly and peacefully asleep.
When I open the door and step into the hallway, I trigger the motion sensor for the hallway light to come on. I can assume that I am the first one awake in my section of the hallway. I climb down the stairs of Vaughn and head to the boathouse in a groggy state. I sit on the concrete floor of the boathouse and wait with the team for everyone to arrive.
After first taking out the oars and then carrying out the boat, we get on the water rather quickly and head out. Once we get moving, I wake up and instantly become alert. One of the perks of having practice before class: I am fully awake for my 8:30 lectures. It’s definitely a productive start to the day. I have finished a workout before some people are even awake.
Though I initially struggle to find the motivation to get out of bed in the morning, it’s always an enjoyable experience. The beauty of the river in the morning is unparalleled. The glass-like water is still and not yet broken by wakes from boats. The rising sunlight glitters as it reflects off the buildings and the sky takes on a warm glow. Watching the sunrise in the morning is well worth running on little sleep.
Samantha Delle can be reached at samathadelle@aol.com.