Image Credit: Woolrich x Westerlind via The Reed.

Let’s be honest, 4:30am feels cruel and unusual, but there are a few nice things about being awake at this ungodly hour.

1. If I’m awake at this time, I’m going somewhere, and hooray for travel! Being up before the sun means I have no more packing to do and I can roll out of bed and into a plane.
2. If I’m not going anywhere, I probably have jetlag, and at least I am sure to be alone. Sitting on the couch with coffee and watching john Oliver isn’t totally terrible.
3. The sunrise. I love sunrise for every cliche reason. It somehow feels new, clean, and quiet. There is something nice about knowing that only a few people are seeing it.
4. Perspective. So you know what I just said about being all alone and quiet? Well it doesn’t work that way in Asia. Watching traffic at 4:30am in Bangkok this morning resembled rush hour in any other city and people have things to do before it gets hot.
5. People are too tired to be mean. In a long line at Starbucks this morning, strangers were pleasant to each other, which basically happens never at Starbucks
6. Leggings are pants at 5am. Maybe because it’s too dark to tell, maybe because zero people care what you are wearing. Maybe because THEY REALLY ARE!?!?!?!
7. You seem efficient. If you send a work email to someone before 6am, they are going to think you really have you shit together. Just don’t mention the leggings.
8. Creativity is awesome at this hour. Honestly, some of my very best designs have come out of jetlag mornings. I am also generally very amused by myself at this unholy time. My best inside jokes with myself come right about now.
9. If you are awake before the sun, it means you can take a nap before lunch. Yeah. Before.
10. Probably my favorite thing about this time though, is that my frantic, stressy, awkward brain is quiet. I don’t have 40 things from the day to replay or overthink. I am extremely optimistic, and with this much extra time in the day, anything seems possible. As a good friend pointed out to me, you have just as many hours in the day as Beyoncé. You can be Beyoncé. Be your own Beyoncé.*

*4:15 wake up calls also known to cause lunacy.