Ending the Endless Summer, Step 1: Waking Up at Dawn

Yesterday, I wrote about the Endless Summer, the modern phenomenon of long hours, lots of electric lights, screwed up circadian rhythms, and compromised health.

Step 1 for me in combating this epidemic is waking up early.

Up with the sun? Sure! Why not?

It's not too difficult for me to do, since I've been waking up fairly regularly between 6:45 and 7:30 anyway. It varies day to day, sure. But prior to this decision, the time I wake up has been either influenced by a need to wake and go somewhere (work, Mass, etc.), or dependent on how tired I was.

Beyond that, it was entirely arbitrary.

So, I've made the conscious decision to wake up at sunrise every day. I know this will shift a bit, and I figure a 10-minute swing to either side is A-OK. But it gives a purpose to waking up early. There is intention there. It moves from living by an artificial clock to living more in tune with the flow of nature.

Granted, it's not an earth-shattering move, and yes, I stayed in bed until 7:10 this morning (sunrise was 6:54). But it is a tangible, achievable goal, and gives some purpose and meaning to the morning.