Day 9, December 12, 9:06 a.m.

Last night I decided I wasn’t getting up in the 6 o’clock hour this morning. I decided I was going to sleep in and let the family ecosystem revert to its norm. Isaac and Emerson are fond of telling me how much I miss by not getting up when they—bonafide morning larks—do. However, now that I have taken them up on this, I’m pretty sure they’re a little tired of it: I have upset the good thing they have going on. This isn’t to say they don’t like having me around in the mornings; they do. But let’s just say even the cat is weirded out by this sudden turn of events.

And so, last night, I made the decision to turn off my alarms and let norms revert. Much to my surprise, my eyes shot open at 6:07 a.m. I thought long and hard about what to do: get up or go back to sleep. I chose to at least try for the latter. I managed to catch a few more Zs and was up about an hour later. But I didn’t push it. We had a chill morning and I set out for my walk just after 9. And can I tell you something? It wasn’t the same.

What today showed me is that this project isn’t about the walking. It’s not about the route or the length or the exertion. It’s about the doing. It’s about the routine and the hour and the working against type and the contemplation it forces. It was a beautiful walk and I’m glad I took it, but I’m excited to see what tomorrow’s walk brings. #MeetingMorning