(even the dog likes her bed to be just so.)

It’s quarter after seven on a Wednesday morning, and nobody else in the house is up. Heck, the sun isn’t even up yet fully (sounds like me before coffee.)

Lately I’ve been pondering the sleep issue. I love my morning routine of getting up early and starting my day with a good solid sweat, but that’s predicated on a decent night’s sleep. When we were sailing, when my body had a chance to get into a preferred rhythm of sleep and wake, it became apparent that I work best on about 9 hours of sleep. That’s the amount that leaves me rested and alert, the amount where I wake up on my own, no alarm required. That was doable when we were sailing, when “cruiser’s midnight” is 9 pm and a late night has people apologizing for being up at 9:30.

Less so now, when homework and tv show finales (nice priorities, right?) are scheduled to run late. Heck, the live finals of The Voice didn’t even start last night until 9, and it was a 2 hour show. (I didn’t make it. My daughter left me a note on my dresser telling me who won.)

These days too, our older beagle, the 15+ year old, has odd nighttime habits. She may be getting senile. She wakes up at about 2 to go outside, comes back in, and about 10 minutes later is barking at the door to go out again. Sleepus interruptus, as conducive to rest as the other kind is to preventing pregnancy.

Top this all off by the fact that I threw my back out (in the shower) the other day.

It’s been hard to wake up at 5:30 to exercise. So hard that it hasn’t happened. Oh, my sweat has happened (all except for Monday, when I did my back in) just later than usual, which has its own effect on my day.

My kids too have had a harder time waking up. Is this the solstice approaching? Vacation approaching? (2 more sleeps until no alarms needed for 2 whole weeks!!!) Homework or The Voice or ipods or tests or late night ice cream?

Whatever, I am also looking forward to a break from the alarm-clock routine. My natural rhythm and preference is to wake up earlier than the rest of my family, for some quiet me time before the day really gets rolling.

It’ll be nice when that can be when the sun is up already.