Sometimes it's okay to be late.

I got my body to sleep in "late" this morning.  Two years ago, late would probably be a more accurate description, seeing as when given the opportunity this girl would roll out of bed around 12 or 12:30 pm and shuffle downstairs like an awakened zombie.  But those days are no more.  Thanks to early mornings day after day, I have become quite the morning person.  (I know, I never thought I'd see the day either!)  Not setting my alarm on a Saturday morning means I'll be up by 8:15 am at the latest.  I haven't minded all that much; some days I wake up more annoyed than others, but for the most part, this is a new habit I can live easily with.

This morning, though, my body's decided to ignore my typical wake-up call.
I didn't greet this beautiful morning until a whopping 10:20 A.M.!

This is due to the fact that I didn't go to sleep until 3:30 am...

I really had no reason to be up as late as I was.  Lord knows I wasn't doing work that needs to be done (there's still plenty of time for that), or really anything productive for that matter.  I was zoned into mindless technology, my computer screen before me and the television on across the room.  But despite the late hour and the lack of productivity--which would usually evoke stress and frustration--I felt completely calm, full of peace.  I found myself able to breathe easy and to enjoy this rare occasion where the only thought going through my mind was "This is wonderful!  What an awesome little treat this time is!"  Sitting on the couch with laptop and television remote on hand, it was a late night free from necessity and accompanied only by happiness.

I've learned over the past year or so that being "late" isn't always a bad thing.  Mind you, this is coming from the girl who's more often than not at least five minutes early and hates being late to or for anything. I've been that way for as long as I can remember.  But I'm learning that as great as schedules and planning are, we can't totally box ourselves in, held captive by alarms, to-do's and itineraries.  Remember, there's a time an place for everything; when referring to set events such as early morning ballet class or conference calls or meetings, I'm not suggesting the "late mentality" by any means.  But for other areas of our day or week, maybe being a little more flex wouldn't be such a bad thing?

Take a minute, an hour for yourself.  Be late.  Sometimes, it's really okay.

Love to all,
M