WHY DOES MY MOTHER ALWAYS FORCE ME TO WAKE UP EARLY?

It is Friday night and as usual I turn off the machine of the old motorcycle in front of the door at 11.00 p.m to avoid waking everybody up from their deep slumber. The joy of the meeting with my friend for the discussion of her homework, as the way I earn money, has been faded away by the cold of night wind along the street I come back home. My father who always becomes the only left one who stays awake lately with his never ending boring TV programs has to open the door for me. I am lost in a full fatigue and all I need is sleep. I have planned to wake up late the next morning to erase the tiredness with a longer peaceful sleep.

It is 5.15 a.m Saturday morning when the tweets of the birds whisper my ears eagerly. The call of my mother pierces the silence inside my room. She never forgets to remind me that I have to wake up early for the sake of a good day (argh..the natural alarm clock without time setting, she always automatically reminds me for that everyday). She always says that a girl or a woman or a female especially, and I was luckily born as a girl, has to wake up before dawn, before the light of sunrise fills the yard to avoid the bad mood for the entire day. For my childhood it is nonsense, but lately I get it. My mother says that when we wake up lately, many chances would have slipped away, these would be grabbed by those who eagerly catch it early. So, her explanation reveals the essential object who the proverb is for; not only for the girl, female, or woman, but it is for everyone. (Keep looking for the reason why the girl becomes the one who always concerned to wake up early since my brother never gets her shout even he never wakes up before 7 a.m.)

The fresh water that bites my puffy face with its coldness refreshes my sleepy mind, but when I enter my room again, my body drags me to the bed more. In a second I close my eyes, unexpectedly my little niece calls me with his cutest shout. “Aunt, wake up.” I just couldn’t help myself not to smile hearing his little sweet voice that sings along with the unrhythmical sound that comes when he knocks my door. When I open the door and find his smile, I take him in my arms and carry him outside. I grab a batik shawl that hangs helplessly on the clothesline and use it as a sling for taking my niece to the playground of kindergarten where he always asks to play the swing. When I lock the swing by the final shawl roll of its one end in my shoulder and comfort my niece in my front, I ask him to give a wave to his mother who has been facing several buckets of dirty clothes.

As long as we walk through the passage way, we do not miss the sound of water that flows in someone’s bathroom, the smell of the breakfast and the smoke that flies away from the roof of someone’s kitchen, the constant moves of people who sweep and never let the dried leaves lying on their yard in the opening day, the typical stripe pattern on someone’s clean yard, and of course the blooms in Mrs. Tini’s garden that my niece never misses. When we reach the gate of the kindergarten I am dazzled by the warm golden light that pierces the mountain range in the east. Without my own awareness, I just go back home and get the camera.

It is a wonderfully beautiful morning; when the sky still sleeps in its gray shadow, the mist keeps its tight hug around the air, the dew does not want to leave the leaves, but the morning sunlight just wake everything up. It is beautifully gorgeous. I take some pictures. When I check the photos that I have just taken, then I see a life. The photos turn the beautiful golden landscape, the man who bikes with his load, and the farmer who enjoys being in the middle of the green rice paddy field, and the atmosphere of morning life into a visual memory.

I realize that I have to look at something as a lesson. Life is not meaningless daily routine that I do everyday. Life is not just about the time when I wake up in the morning, eat three times a day, go to school, do homework, go to work, do the job, earn money, meet friends, see people, and sleep at night. I need to learn something when do those things; like being grateful for my day and all that I have, being responsible when I do the job, and being kind and helpful to people. Everyday life is a journey, then I want to take it as the way to see the life. (Self talk always magically brings the wise side of self as the winner over the selfish side of me :D)

My niece wakes me up from my short contemplation (may be from my morning day dream is the correct one) and amazement, so he just makes me smile. His demand to run in the playground and play the swing leads me enjoy playing child things cheerfully. My mother is always right; wake up early for the sake of a good day.

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