The 6 o'clock hour

Whether morning or evening this is my favorite hour. SO much so that it needs to be written about and maybe, too, this will serve as a strong enough reminder to myself to seize the 6 o'clock hour whenever possible. I won't lie though, I do believe the a.m. partner of my adored hour is an aquired taste. I don't think anyone is wired to just thrive at 6am. But after several years of training....I thrive and I love it!

Twp to three mornings a week I get up and conduct an exhausting workout in the gut of the 6-7am time frame. The roads are quiet, there are usually no screaming sirens or traffic jams. The people who share this hour with me feel just as findly I believe. You can sense it in their attitude and their pleasantness. People in this hour are more calm and seem to be more in control of their day. Don't get me wrong - getting up in the 5 o'clock hour isnt my favorite thing to do but my theory is to just put my feet on the floor. If I just put my two feet on the ground then I am surely going to get moving and make the most of the morning and typically, the entire day. Oh, but on those occasional mornings where I let the dark room, the warm bed and the cute boy next to me get the the best of my good intentions. I always feel a little less productive and a little out of control the rest of the day. Now even if it isnt a workout that I devote the hour to but a good breakfast in my fluffy robe, Matt and Meredith in the background with the Today show and a book or my bible, It is still just as effective.

Now on the other end of the world is the glorious 6pm hour. (And this hour changes a little bit with the time change) but with the government giving us more sunlight it is truly the 6th hour past noon that tickles my fancy. 95% of the time I am home for work just before the clock strikes 6. All afternoon the desire builds to just exist outside. I don't have to do anything or go anywhere but I just like to be outdoors in this hour. Traffic in our area is normally coming to an end, Brad comes home all bubbly and ready to see me (usually) and he still looks so cute from the long work day, there are still a few hours of daylight and plenty of time to bore myself doing nothing before any evening activities commence. I remember living in Athens and driving over the loop to our Macon Hwy townhome and I would drive the circle twice just to take in the amazing decent of the sun in the early 6o'clock hour before day light savings and in the late 6 o'clock hour after. Either way it was peaceful and assuring. Now, growing up the 6pm hour always signaled mama's dinner. Without fail for years and years mama always had something scrumptious on the table around 6:15pm. Then we kids would still have an hour to play after dinner before we had to start getting ready for bed. There is something about routine, too, that I love so this is ceratinly a grand memory. Anyway, today's 6a.m. hour I was pounding on the treadmill watching the Today show and what do they tell me......"That people that wake up early are usually more happy throughout the day and prove to be more succesful over the long term." I couldn't agree more. Tonight during the 6pm hour Brad and I will be delighting on our favorite Thursday night patio at Taqueria del Sol off Cheshire Bridge. There will be few libations of lime decent because they are Brad's favorite. Also, 4 fish tacos (1 for me, 3 for Brad), a cup o' shrimp chowder and a salsa trio will grace us with their present in the most glorious of hours on the most glorious of days.....I LOVE Thursdays....especially when I have already called off for the day tomorrow. Let the weekend begin......