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Good Morning Starshine

Well after a month and a half of sharing one car in our family (hubby's car is in the shop till the end of Sept because a part we need is on backorder due to the SAAB bankruptcy), I am here to update you on the benefits of the arrangement. Yes, benefits. Can you believe you just read that? It didn't seem like it was going to provide any benefits at first and I spent the first week or two complaining and whining about the suffering I was forced to endure. But I've changed my tune and I'd like to sing it for you now.

1. I have always been a person lacking self-discipline who got up whenever I felt like it (i have flexible work hours).  This has caused problems for me because fitness regimens, breakfast schedules, making time to walk the dogs, and lunch making (to save $$) all depend on a reliable and consistent morning routine. And yet it's so hard for an undisciplined person to gain discipline unless it's imposed from the outside for a time (during which it eventually internalizes). True, technically no one is holding a gun to my head and making me get up at 4am but if I don't get up early enough to ride to the train station with hubby, I have to either call in sick to work or walk a couple miles to the train station. So there's that pressure to get up on time and it's been good for me as I've now got a consistent morning routine going and my health, our pets, and our finances are benefiting from it. 

2. Gone is the decades long argument between hubby and I about when to go to bed. I have always enjoyed going to bed later while he has preferred to get his head on a pillow no later than 9 pm. I would stay up till 11pm or midnight or later, but even if I went to another room to keep from disturbing him I would inadvertently wake him up when I eventually crawled into bed (he's a light sleeper). I pointed out that likewise he would wake me inadvertently in the early a.m. when he got out of bed. So we were both disturbed by each other's habits. And round and round we've gone in this argument for SIXTEEN years with no easy resolution for two stubborn people. Now that I'm getting up at 4am each morning I have no interest in or ability to stay up past 9pm on weeknights. So just like that *poof* the infighting is over on this thorny subject.

3. I am slowly turning into a morning person. I thought this morning vs night person thing was a fixed trait, but it seems to be mold-able with enough effort. And this is a benefit because being awake in the wee hours is truly awesome! I get to watch the sunrise every morning. I get to run in the streets when it is cool and breezy and deserted, which so peaceful. I have time to prep casseroles or the crockpot for the day's dinner if needed. And I get to do those things with energy and joy, no longer feeling irritable when getting up early. I am still suffering under the side effects - namely afternoon fatigue between 3 and 5pm- but I think they will fade over time (hopefully).

4. We are saving money on gas. Jon disputes whether we are really driving less just because we are down to one car but I am certain it is so. Knowing that we only have one car makes me more reluctant to schedule a lot of extra activities because I don't want to leave hubby stranded without vehicle. So I try to limit my driving trips and when I do go out I try to combine a lot of errands into one trip.


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