"Do not shorten the morning by getting up late; look upon it as the quintessence of life, as to a certain extent sacred." - Arthur Schopenhauer
For the past few days I have been waking up before sunrise, normally I wake up around 8:00am. For some strange reason I have always been fascinated by other’s morning routine. The first thing I do besides thrall in confusion at my own obfuscated consciousness is pray. Sometimes it feels more like a check in the box than anything, which is something I need to work on.
Afterwards I do the boring hygiene stuff, take my medicine, toast a bagel and sip on something caffeinated. Lately it has been Sugar Free Redbull (no I am not sponsored). I have an addictive personality and anytime I hop on the coffee bandwagon I go too far with it. Drinking 3 or 4 cups a day, and finding excuses for Starbucks Runs. After breakfast, I try to read something. I find that if I put on some ambient noise and the caffeine hits, I tend to focus better. Engaging with the text, instead of passing my eyes over it.
Before sunrise it feels as if I am a lone apocalyptic survivor, bearing witness to humanities last day. I like to romanticize my life when I can. It helps with the existential despair. Instead of journaling this morning I decided to write this. Usually I will write fragments of my dreams, even if it is only associations I half remember, or feelings. Last nights dreams were frightful to say the least, so I was happy to wake up early. Will have to marinate on them later. Once I work up the courage, I will probably read more of Todd McGowan’s “Capitalism and Desire.” I am enjoying it, since he is giving a psychoanalytical/Lacanian interpretation of Capitalism. It is a work that I cannot passively read, so I have to prepare myself for it. To get in the right frame of mind. My attention span has been severely degraded over the years. And I am working to repair it to the best of my abilities.
My mornings tend to follow a similar routine, I neglected to mention that my cat will often accompany me throughout this. And try to beg for treats. Which sometimes tugs on my heart strings. The few minutes that I stay in bed longer with her on top of me, fills me with a warmth that reminds me I am human. And capable of loving someone, albeit a feline.
On less productive days I will fire up Youtube and get lost in whatever the algorithm decides I will like. I have an upcoming Substack on a video that left me filled with disgust and trepidation. But I will save that for another day.
What are some of your morning routines? Its oddly comforting to me, the familiarity and simplicity of it.
Nice routine. Some mornings I get up very early (before 5am) to go on a walk. Otherwise it's up around 7am, coffee (I'm addicted, it's hard to moderate it) and eggs or ground beef, check Substack/news, shower, and various chores. It's kind of chaotic and stressful, trying to cram in too much. A more extended, less rushed routine would be nice...