For the past few mornings, I’ve been getting outdoors earlier. The sky is just beginning to brighten. Light has a different quality–a freshness–as if the world creates itself anew each day. Energy shimmers at the threshold between darkness and light. It seeps into me and I think, “Why don’t I do this every day?” Why don’t I get up early and go for a long walk? Or, why don’t I use the freshest energy for something vital, such as writing?

During one semester in college, I took the bus to the university. It arrived before classes began, so I used that half hour of waiting time to write a novel that became my master’s project a few years later. When my kids were little, I woke up at four a.m. to write. Now, I use the freshest hour(s) of day to read and respond to email. Why? I could do that task at any time of day (or night). And I should. When light returns and energy tingles, I should do what I care most about doing. I should write.

What about you? What is your freshest time of day? Can you shift things so that at least some of your writing time falls during this time? What might happen if you did?