Ridiculous O’clock

I get up at ridiculous o’clock.

It all started when my daughter was born. Having a newborn is a shock to the system – say hello to sleepless nights. She wasn’t a great sleeper and being woken around twenty times a night took a toll on us mentally and physically. However, around the six-month mark we saw a light at the end of the tunnel and for the first time we had a full night's sleep – it was bliss.

But by now, my body had developed a habit of waking early and I decided to continue with the routine, even if sleep was something I longed for for so many months.

By waking that extra hour, I had more time to do the things I wanted, allowing more time for my family after work. I began running, riding and even going to the pool to swim laps, cutting back the “baby weight” I managed to share with my wife.

With the sun rising so early in Brisbane, I soon found that an hour was not enough and started setting my alarm that extra 5 minutes early every few days; giving my body time to adjust. I began skating again, meeting new friends (who knew we would form an early hours dads skating group) and on my off days, I write.

Two years in and I'm accustomed to waking at around 3.30am. A time some may say is ridiculous o’clock. But this isn't ridiculous to me – far from it. It's my creative time and time for self-care; helping my mind and body grow.

It doesn’t matter if people think I'm nuts for waking when I do – I don’t care – I found my groove and I'm sticking to it. Have you found yours?