Writing is hard. Sleeping is easy.

These two facts are always front and center in my brain when the alarm goes off at 5:30 each weekday morning. When I hear the cricket alarm, do I always jump out of bed and hit the laptop writing? Not hardly. I usually hit the snooze button at least twice before I crawl slowly out to face an empty computer screen.

It’s a constant struggle to get out of my cozy warm nest and stumble downstairs to a cold dark room that doesn’t even have the comforting whiff of coffee, not yet anyway.

But I do it more often than I don’t, and the reason isn’t money (ha!) or fame (double ha!).

I do it because when I see kids reading my books in my class at school or see them carrying my books in the hallways, it makes me feel great. I love it that my students realize their teacher doesn’t just talk the talk, she gets up early and writes the words.

I also do it because writing and creating is something that makes me feel good about myself, and who doesn’t want that?

And on those days that I do my early hour of writing AND do my late hour at the  gym? Well, those are the days that even I can’t stand myself!