My dad would snap on the lights and bark "Get up!" in his master sergeant's voice. It was a horribly unpleasant way to get woken up. From deep sleep to sitting upright, adrenaline coursing in my veins with no transition.

Contrastingly, my college girlfriend, Suz, would come down to my dorm room and gently waggle my foot back and forth so we could go to our Shakespeare class. Most pleasant.

Insomnia! That's it!!

I don't remember mornings because there weren't many. Just extensions of the night.

I didn't learn how to sleep until my late 30s. No lie. I'd go for 3 weeks at a time getting 2 hours of sleep a night.

But once I learned? Oh baby. Ima sleepin' demon. I occassionally still have a sleepless night and I do have the odd anxiety waking, but in general, I'm well slept.

Funny how it is difficult to remember what that was like. Thank you GOD. It's hard to remember what that was like.

I loathe it when someone tells me to smile. You can only imagine how much I love being told to wake up.

I've always been gentle waking up the boys because I hate to be awakened. Singing is a last resort after previous attempts. Threatening being tossed in the pool comes next, but they are bigger than me now and don't take me seriously.

This is why I have three big dogs.

I let them do the dirty work if the gentle wake up isn't working.

My dad would always wake us up by fairly gently saying our names (both my names in my case..see Natter) and it still bugged me! He wakes my mom up to this day by bringing her a cup of coffee in bed. That is, I think, the secret to their 40+ year marriage.

This is why I have three big dogs.

I let them do the dirty work if the gentle wake up isn't working.

BABIES! Babies are fun for that. Over Christmas, when we'd want the youngest adult to get up, we'd just send Cooper in there, and he'd crawl all over him. And Jon couldn't be mad at Cooper, so it was perfect!

He wakes my mom up to this day by bringing her a cup of coffee in bed.

If I could find a man who would do that, I just might marry him.

If I could find a man who would do that, I just might marry him.

Right!? My one has brought me coffee in bed, which is truly lovely, but I've done the same for him. My dad both doesn't drink coffee and gets up really early. Perfect!

My mom was an oh what a beautiful morning person. or a throw the dog in the bed person. But there is no good way to wake me up. Best way seems to be music half an hour before I have to move.

ION, has anyone seen my calm or equilibrium around? I really need it.