Dawnlighting

I am familiar with the word ‘moonlighting’ – having a second job in the evening, to supplement one’s income, and I admire those diligent people who work so hard both day and night. I recognise that many have no choice.

But I recently came across the word ‘dawnlighting’ – that has a slightly different meaning. This is not about paid employment.

Dawnlighting is when you get up an hour or two earlier than the rest of the household in order to get extra tasks completed. These can be

• exercise- going for a run, walking the dog, using a rowing machine, doing some yoga
• household tasks – finishing the ironing, sorting finances and paying bills, making some bread, thinning out seedlings
• crafts – finishing some stitching, knitting a few more rows, making some cards, hooking another Granny Square
• writing – a letter, a blogpost, the next chapter of The Novel
• reading – the end of the library book, a Bible Commentary, last week’s Sunday Supplement, the 2012 Man Booker Prize*

The idea is that having begun your day with such positive activity, you get a real sense of achievement which inspires you through the day with a sense of purpose. As day is breaking, you are beginning a new time of creativity.

I am a fairly early riser anyway – and Bob works late into the night [why do so many larks seem to end up married to owls?] which means I very rarely get a full eight hours under the duvet, so I am not inclined to make a habit of dawnlighting.

BUT as I thought about it, I remembered something that happened when I was a very young child. I was staying at my grandparents and Nana and I were sharing the double bed in the back bedroom. I woke very early to hear the birds singing outside. “What is it Nana?” I asked. She explained it was the Dawn Chorus – and that every day, as the sun comes up, all the birds sing. She maintained they were praising God for another new day [and who was I to argue with that?] “Angela, if you are woken by the Dawn Chorus, and you do not have to get up for a while, but you cannot get back to sleep, then you should use the time to talk to God too” she told me. She suggested thanking God for a new day, praying for friends with problems, and asking for God’s help to do my best in the day ahead.

And so that’s been my practice for many years now**. I confess that often I drift back to sleep again and am awoken later by the alarm – but always find the quiet time of meditation a blessing and help.

* Hilary Mantel- Bring Up The Bodies. It is waiting on the bookshelf till my holiday in August

** For the sake of Bob and others nearby, I pray silently, I do not attempt to sing along with the birds!