Living in London it gets dark fairly early in the winter and stays dark till mid-morning. Because of my ragged commute, I tend to cycle half of my morning journey and leave around the damp, dark, and dewy time of 6:30 am.
Let me just say that I am categorically not a morning person. When my alarm goes off at 6 am, a part of me wants to die instead of jump into my cycling clothes and hit the road.
But most days, once I'm actually on my bike with the wind flying through strategically placed vents in my helmet and the clouds are marbled against the usually grey London skyline, I can't help but enjoy my super early morning commute.
At first, I loved it because it seemed like all of London was asleep and I alone was awake and cycling across the city, off to face the adventures of an English teacher in East London. But London doesn't let you feel lonely for long. As soon as I make it into the park near my house, I usually pass a few pre-dawn dog walkers and other early commuters,
Every Wednesday one residential street means I'm scurrying through a jungle of shoulder high dust bins avoiding the bin men. By the time I reach Deptford I can't even hear my headphones from the cacophony of traffic.
By the time I cycle through Greenwich University, down the residential streets, past the early morning stone carvers, the delivery vans, and the recycling dump trucks at the industrial site by North Greenwich station, I'm more than happy to park my cycle and join the flux of weary morning travelers sipping their coffees and burying their heads in their phones and papers.
I might occasionally become petulant at my early rising and long commute, but feeling the fresh air (and rain) on my face as I quite literally watch the moon set and the sun rise feeds a part of me in a way that sleep doesn't. And as much as I would love a one person (me) cycle road all the way to work that is straight, not too hilly, scenic, but not in the sticks, and just long enough in all weathers... seeing everyone else up and about, slowing making their morning with me every day keeps me humble, patient, and going to bed early.
Ok London... 6am is calling me... I need to get to sleep.
Let me just say that I am categorically not a morning person. When my alarm goes off at 6 am, a part of me wants to die instead of jump into my cycling clothes and hit the road.
But most days, once I'm actually on my bike with the wind flying through strategically placed vents in my helmet and the clouds are marbled against the usually grey London skyline, I can't help but enjoy my super early morning commute.
At first, I loved it because it seemed like all of London was asleep and I alone was awake and cycling across the city, off to face the adventures of an English teacher in East London. But London doesn't let you feel lonely for long. As soon as I make it into the park near my house, I usually pass a few pre-dawn dog walkers and other early commuters,
Every Wednesday one residential street means I'm scurrying through a jungle of shoulder high dust bins avoiding the bin men. By the time I reach Deptford I can't even hear my headphones from the cacophony of traffic.
By the time I cycle through Greenwich University, down the residential streets, past the early morning stone carvers, the delivery vans, and the recycling dump trucks at the industrial site by North Greenwich station, I'm more than happy to park my cycle and join the flux of weary morning travelers sipping their coffees and burying their heads in their phones and papers.
I might occasionally become petulant at my early rising and long commute, but feeling the fresh air (and rain) on my face as I quite literally watch the moon set and the sun rise feeds a part of me in a way that sleep doesn't. And as much as I would love a one person (me) cycle road all the way to work that is straight, not too hilly, scenic, but not in the sticks, and just long enough in all weathers... seeing everyone else up and about, slowing making their morning with me every day keeps me humble, patient, and going to bed early.
Ok London... 6am is calling me... I need to get to sleep.
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