Quietly I close the door behind me and step out onto the sandstone walk. Dawn requests softness as my body, stiff from sleep, stretches into the morning.
East is the direction of the door I’ve just closed. East is the direction my head faces when I sleep. East is the first direction I seek when I rise. Where am I? I look east. East is the direction my studio window faces. When I work, I mostly keep east in front of me or to my left shoulder. I write, take photographs and paint mostly during the first few hours of a day. I edit in the afternoon and late evening. Sunsets, the gloaming and dinner are for enjoying and chats – not working.
I admire the sparse early garden as I head out for a walk.
View and purchase full resolution image (photograph rendered in oils) here.
If we are able to follow the natural rhythms of our body, they are often different from each other. Not everyone has the same orientation to the various times of day.
Sprout Question: Following your natural body rhythms, what part of the day is yours?
© 2010 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.
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Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.
From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada
Creative Potager 
Sprout Question: Following your natural body rhythms, what part of the day is yours?
I am an EARLY morning person. I get up so early, in fact, that my husband refers to it as “The butt-crack of dawn!”
Terrill, you really had me thinking about the direction aspect of things. My home office window faces west; in my business office, one window faces west, the other faces south. But in all honesty, I pay much more attention to what’s beneath me. I make a specific point of working barefoot and planting my feet firmly on the floor — regardless of the direction I’m facing.
Great food for thought; thank you!
Laurie, it has been a few years since I’ve heard that expression – made me laugh with glee. Big thanks for your sprout.
I spend a lot of time barefoot as well – inside and outside when the weather allows. I also tend to wear sturdy shoes that keep me “planted.” That is why my wedding heels were such a surprise to people and so much fun – for one hour and forty-five minutes… the off they came.
my time is and has been ever since i was a kid, from around 10 pm till 2 am . that is when i am most energized creative and clear of thought.
Jerry, this is a perfect example of difference. You and Laurie would be passing each other as one was getting up, the other would be thinking about going to bed.
I have two people in my life that consider the 10:00 pm till 2:00 am prime creative time. I often wonder (as rather defenseless human-beings before our inventions) if people weren’t designed this way so someone could always be watching over the group in case of danger. Just a mild musing…
my time is definitely early morning as well – my favorite part of the day is sitting while the house is silent and the sun is just preparing to rise… I really enjoyed your blog today Terrill 🙂 beautiful photos as always. In a funny coincidence, I came across Surly Bird Tags on Etsy http://tiny.cc/X5W2L and the tag “The early bird is an asshat” … I don’t know, but it did make me laugh out loud. I suppose I am a quiet asshat then!
xo
Leigh-Anne
Leigh-Anne so glad you came by and provided a sprout to today’s question. Great link. However, I never would consider you bumbling or clueless. Far from it in fact.
Okay we need some early afternoon people and maybe a couple more night owls to come join this conversation.
A funny story: My mom still swears I am a night owl. I don’t have the heart to tell her that just because I was the only one left up at 9:30 in the evening doesn’t make me a night owl. We were a farm family. Dawn and dark rule sleep patterns… unless it is calving time – then my parents get little sleep night or day.
I breathe deeper at night. I feel tight in the mornings. I prefer to see the sunset than the sun rise. I like thinking about people on the other side of the world receiving the sun’s warmth after it fades from my little bit of this Earth. I like the shadows that appear at night. What fun is lighting a candle in the day time?
Hello Lorraine or Lark as I mostly know you! Thank you for coming by and helping Jerry hold up the night sky for creative time. I slipped by and saw your latest tweet quote… “Night time is really the best time to work. All the ideas are there to be yours because everyone else is asleep.” *Catherine O’Hara. Seems like a perfect addition to your comment. Thanks again for coming by:)