PANCAKES AND EARLY MORNINGS

I am most in love with the world at the hour before it wakes up; when the sky is still a navy blue backdrop—cloudless. Maybe this is how oblivion looks like. I love how the morning breeze caresses my face the moment I step out of the shelter that is my home. The dark surroundings don’t scare me. In this small town, you may not know everyone but the familiarity of each face is there. It is my comfort zone. This is my favorite box.

My eyes seem to be in time-lapse when I watch the heavens crack light. Every color comes to life. Maybe that’s what we consider hope in sunrise. Most days, it is an oil pastel canvas. Sometimes, it burns like a sunset. It is quite a view. Our lifetime isn’t as monochromatic as we think it is.

Everyone is in his dreamy state; headphones on and asleep during the travel time from home to work. The traffic that is an everyday torment has become an excuse to catch more sleep, scroll through SNS, read more Wattpad stories. It is your choice if you’re going to sulk and curse the circumstance we can’t do anything about or kill time entertaining yourself. We, at least, deserve the latter.

It has been like that for me the last two weeks of September. Since my insomnia has gotten worse, I chose to go to the office way too early. I wanted to avoid the rush hour as much as possible. I didn’t want another reason to get my headache more severe than it already was due to sleep deprivation. So, every time I arrived 2-3 hours before my actual 9:00AM schedule, I stayed at McDonald’s. Everyday. For. Two. Weeks.

But it was actually fun! As I walked down the empty Pearl Drive, I could see the birds flying around, the cityscapes as its playground. Some days, I even pause the song I was listening to just to hear them chirp. It is not something you can always witness. Especially if you’re too busy to pay attention to environment. It’s the little things that make up the big picture. Do not forget to look around you.

This always set my mood. Then you add the food. It has been a variation of Big Breakfast, Sausage McMuffin (I added egg occasionally just to have another taste), Sausage Platter (do not judge me I love sausages especially Hungarian ㅠㅠ) then Pancakes that is best with hot chocolate. It’s Iced Coffee Vanilla when it’s hot and just plain coffee when it’s a little humid. It’s all about preferences.

I love sitting at the far end corner—away from everyone. Though, I always watch. A mix of the same faces from yesterday, the day before that or complete strangers. I love seeing the generation gap. Old folks reading newspapers and the youngsters watching KDrama and variety shows on either their mobile or laptop or playing games. To be honest, I would prefer Sudoku. It was fairly quiet for a fast food restaurant. That’s what you get in early mornings—a sense of peace.

There was this day when I saw an old couple eating together. They looked happy. The old man even helped his wife to her chair. I wondered then if we are all fortunate enough to be with someone we really love and loves us back just as much. I could only hope. Or maybe she is the mistress. Funny, right? We can make up these stories just by looking.

My old self would probably enjoy the company of Starbucks. But the thought of my P200 for a cup versus the breakfast I can have in that amount, that could actually fill me up until late afternoon, just no. I can skip lunch just because I’m still full from that morning. Maybe this is what growing up means, we get more the importance between wants and needs.

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These are the thoughts I got from the past two weeks. You gotta love waking up early, too. Though, it was always a heartbreak when I finished my meal. It was time to walk my way to our building. Work is waiting.

I will never get tired of early mornings on weekdays but it will be lovely to have the career you are passionate about. Like, staying at home, making yourself a cup of coffee before starting to write then write then write. I hope we all find the job that fills our hearts and serves our purpose.