Cheersin'
It is too early to get out of bed this morning.
My alarm has gone off six times, and I've been wide awake for over an hour. In this essay, I will explain why it is too early to get out of bed.
To begin, my room is cold and my bed is warm. When our body temperatures drop, we can develop hypothermia. Symptoms include shivering, numbness, confusion and death. Why should I risk it all by leaving the comfort of my slumber? "The greatest victory is that which requires no battle" -Sun Tzu, The Art of War
I know some of my readers hail from warmer, sunnier places. But the cold New England landscape is brutal. The sun basically doesn't rise until it's time for the sun to set. If it rains on a New England winter day, you just don't get a day. This is a truth people have been dealing with for too long, and I don't want to deal with it today. The son gets up when the sun gets up. And it's raining today.
I follow a particular schedule in the morning. When I wake up, I immediately take a shower. This both wakes me up and begins my day with a metaphorical washing off of yesterday's stresses. But this morning, right before I was about to leave the warmth of my bed, someone else got in the shower. I can hear the water running. I'll have to stay in bed until they're done.
Additionally, today is my laundry day. If I want to wear clean clothes, I will have to search my room for the last remaining clean items. Searching my cold, dark room (my ceiling light annoys me so I don't use it) doesn't sound like something I want to do right now. If I stay in bed, I can mentally parse through the entire contents of my room, including every single piece of clothing I own. Efficiency is key.
My room is messy. It is that way because that is the way it is. I don't like it. But I certainly can't do anything about it right now. If I put my face back into my pillow, I don't have to look at it anymore. Plus, if I tried to walk through it, I could trip and fall and hurt myself. Not how I want to start my day.
There are many reasons people choose to stay in bed every morning. But YOU might be the reason they choose to get up. So reader—thanks for being you.
Originally published on Instagram