Mornings, a study.

I feel divided about mornings. On the one hand, I despise them. My least favorite part of the day, the time when the darkness and warmth of my bed call me to stay just a little longer and put off getting up as long as possible. I've always been more of a sunset, twilight-time kind of girl. That relaxing of the day, the reflection, the pause, the settling as the day wraps itself up in color and quality, just before the night comes in.

On the other hand, I love the mornings. Not only for the times when I can sleep in (rare, but occasional), but because they usually begin with the light clomp-clomp of bare Grif feet, and a boy with an armful of bunny and dog silently begging me to open the covers and let him in, so we can snuggle for just a few more minutes.

I dislike mornings when I have to rush the boy to hurry hurry hurry to get ready, change clothes, eat breakfast, put on shoes and bundle up in your coat so we can go go go go!! I love mornings when I can doze just a few minutes longer with a boy and a pilot on either side, all of us tucked in the warmth of "we three" before reluctantly letting the day truly begin.

I dislike mornings as that's usually when Jim leaves us to go on a trip. I love it when he's home and I can sneak out for my favorite yoga class, which begins before most of this city has started to stir.

I dislike mornings as they often signal a time when I must leave the boy at school and make my way into work. I love mornings as they now represent just a fraction of the time I have to spend away from him, as opposed to last year's full-time commitment.

Mornings are usually mommy and Grif time, as even when daddy is home, he's slower to get moving and we often tiptoe out to let him sleep. And then there are the mornings for just the pilot and me, which remind me of when we first met and would lounge and watch TV and nap until noon.

Mornings -- so promising, often painful, but usually worth it, when it's all said and done with, don't you think?