Summer is Here… Start Your Day with a Smile

Today marks the official start to summer. I am lucky enough to live in a small beach town in New Jersey (as non-locals call it “The Jersey Shore”). As the sun starts to rise earlier and earlier, I find it much easier to wake up and get my day started.

Most days in the summer I wake up just before sunrise. This allows me to often experience the amazing sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean as I walk along the boardwalk. 

Waking up early, my house is quiet and peaceful. I get outside and start walking towards the ocean.  The sounds of the birds, waves, sprinklers and from time to time a New York City bound train, are heard.  

Walking gives me time to wakeup and think.  I think about how grateful I am. I also think about work and how I will structure my day. 

When I get back home, I turn on the coffee, cut up some fruit for my family, hop in the shower and get to work.  Refreshed and energized I am ready to start my day. 

Until the fall, when I will wake in the dark and must walk with a light. And yes, my wakeup time does shift a bit later.  If I don’t workout first thing, it does not happen.  And for me, it is the first thing I can check off my list and start my day with a smile.

What time do you get up in the summer? Is it different from the winter?  Either way, hope you have a great day!

-Diane Ireland, Research and Consulting Manager