Don’t parents always say that nothing good happens after midnight? When the sky goes from bright blues and whites to midnight black, all the goblins and ghouls come out to play, and I am always wide-awake.
I am a natural night owl. I get a surge of energy around 10 p.m. I could run a race or cook up a feast. I usually find myself starting new books, trying new workouts or painting my nails. For years, I have wondered if I could reset my rhythm because I want so badly to be a morning person.
Mary Oliver’s poems were some of the first works to make me ache to catch the sunrise every day. I particularly love this bit from “Why I Rise Early”:
dear star, that just happens
to be where you are in the universe
to keep us from ever-darkness,
to ease us with warm touching,
to hold us in the great hands of light–
good morning, good morning, good morning.
But there has long been an attitude of virtuosity surrounding the Morning Person. She gets the worm; she greets the day; she rises with song like Cinderella, and little cartoon creatures join her in her praises of the sunlight and another chance at life. In my mind, all the best people must rise early. So why wouldn’t the best version of myself do the same?
I have enlisted in free e-courses meant to coach me into morning personhood. I have rubbed lavender oil on my temples to make my sleep (and thus, waking up) come easier. I have set my alarm 15 minutes earlier, day after day after day. I have slept in workout clothes so that I can hop right out of bed for a quick jog. I have tried the apps, listened to songs, eaten at certain times and avoided late afternoon caffeine. I have even had my own early rising father call to wake me up from miles away.
And still, I am not a morning person.
While the nights are full of expectations (school nights are for discipline and accomplishment; weekends are for taking the town with friends or lovers), the wee hours of the morning are always respected as yours and yours alone.
I crave those few extra hours to wake myself up, to finish a few tasks on my to-do list or to just ready myself for what life is going to throw my way. But I love the morning most because it is a clean slate. Every rising sun brings another chance to be kinder, wiser, bolder and braver. The morning is meant for self-improvement.
I hope these songs bring comfort to anyone on a path of self-improvement, and that each one will in some way remind you why the morning is so full of promise.
1. Every Time the Sun Comes Up by Sharon Van Etten
This song has slow, honey feel to it that I love in the morning.
2. I Say a Little Prayer by Aretha Franklin
The opening line has solidified this song as one of those perfect wake-up moments.
3. Paris Nights/New York Mornings by Corrine Bailey Rae
The magic of the early hours is summed up so sweetly here.
4. Like the Morning Dew by Laura Mvula
There’s a reason songwriters and poets compare love to morning clouds and dew drops.
5. I’ll Be Here in the Morning by Kate Maki
This Townes Van Zandt cover is all the warmth you want to feel first thing in the day.
6. Early Morning Breeze by Dolly Parton
Believe it or not, this Dolly Parton track reminds me a bit of Oliver and her poetry.
7. I’ll Fly Away by Gillian Welch and Alison Krauss
Sometimes I still listen to old hymns because mornings feel sacred to me.
8. Sunrise by Norah Jones
“Looks like morning in your eyes,” is my favorite line from this playlist.
9. Sleep by Azure Ray
This one for when light, metaphorical or literal, opens you up to something new.
10. Forever by Julianna Barwick
I’m not one for totally silent morning meditations, and this song is one of my favorites to accompany a wandering mind.
11. Here Comes the Sun by Nina Simone
The ultimate sunrise song by my ultimate gal: Nina.
Sarah-Grace Sweeney is a writer from Texas (like Beyoncé). She works for a mommy blog but is not a mom. You can follow her at @sarahgrace317.