Seven Degrees Left of Center

Getting Up Too Early Again

I’ve been waking up between 4:30 and 5 a.m. lately. I don’t remember deciding this was a good idea. I just know that once I’m awake, I’m awake. Lying in bed feels pointless, like waiting for permission that isn’t coming.

So I get up.

I start the coffee. I turn on the computer. I write things. Not important things. Just stuff like this. Words that don’t solve anything or reveal great truths. They exist mostly because I’m already sitting here.

This isn’t writing in any grand sense. It’s practice. The kind that doesn’t look good or sound smart. The kind you don’t keep. It’s just showing up and moving your hands, even when nothing special happens.

This morning I opened a new canister of coffee grounds. Fresh. Rich. It will easily be the best pot of the week.

At least the coffee showed up prepared.