INTRO — Nights Make More Sense Than Mornings
Some people wake up glowing. I wake up negotiating with gravity. Nights have always been kinder — quieter, cooler, less performative. The world stops demanding explanations after midnight. No cheery voices, no to-do lists breathing down your neck, no sunlight trying to stage an intervention. Just silence, a warm room, and a cat who believes 2 a.m. is the perfect time for a philosophical snack.
THE MYSTERY OF MORNING PEOPLE
Here’s what I don’t understand:
Why are morning people so loud?
Night people open their eyes, see everyone still asleep, and tiptoe around like trained assassins. We go out of our way to not disturb anyone. We move like we’re in a museum.
Morning people? Absolute menaces.
They fling curtains open like they’re summoning the sun itself. They clatter in the kitchen. They drop pans. They start conversations no one asked for. They tell you — with pride — that you’re “wasting the day” by sleeping. Meanwhile, you went to bed two hours ago.
“Why are you still asleep?”
Because, Filicia, it’s 5 in the morning and my REM cycle isn’t powered by your enthusiasm.
Morning people have no remorse, no awareness, no survival instincts.
Zero.
Just a 500% entitlement to other people’s sleep schedules.
IN BETWEEN THE HOURS
Me? I’m a hybrid creature.
When I travel — especially in Asia — I’m up at 4 a.m., moving through the quiet like the city hasn’t fully loaded yet. It’s the only time the air doesn’t feel like it’s boiling your organs. But by noon, the heat hits that “why am I alive” level, and after eight hours of walking since sunrise, the only logical choice is a midday sleep. Not laziness — survival. Anyone who skips a 12 p.m. nap in Southeast Asia is either lying or dehydrated.
At home?
Different rules. Four days a week I drag myself up early for the gym.
The other three, I take the luxury of two extra hours — because I can.
FINAL THOUGHTS — Sleep Is Not a Moral Issue
Somewhere along the way, people decided that when/how you sleep defines who you are. As if sunrise worship makes you superior and staying up late makes you irresponsible. It’s nonsense.
Morning, night, whatever — the only thing that matters is being bearable to the people you share air with. If you can wake up early without acting like an alarm clock with legs, good for you. If you thrive at night without waking the neighborhood, even better.
But if you’re one of those “rise and shine” crusaders, who slam cabinets and speak at full volume and judge everyone who hasn’t merged with daylight yet—
Please stay on your side of consciousness. Some of us prefer not to commit homicide before our morning coffee. I said what I said.
