Top o’ the mornin’ to ya

I was once a morning person. Until I wasn’t. I think the change had something to do with becoming a lemming (translation – commuter).

On weekdays, from the minute I wake up until the minute I sit at my desk, it’s all rush, rush, rush with lots of quick glances at the time to check everything is going to schedule. When you’re a lemming, just one extra minute spent here or there can mean getting to work up to half an hour late.

Amongst all the frenetic getting ready activity, there are four wonderful moments each morning that bring joy to my day. These are; an adorable sleeping husband, 4 crazy Peruvians, a random whiteboard and a teenage mutant ninja turtle.

From when the alarm goes off until 8.00am  – The adorable sleeping husband

As soon as I get out of bed in the morning, Ian instantly moves over to my side. Without even waking up, he moves himself over, arranges my pillows to his liking and then completely cocoons himself in the doona. In fact he covers himself up so snug and tight that frankly I’m not actually sure how he breathes.

Even though I’m rushing about getting ready, I stop every now and then and just look at his cute little head sticking out of the covers. It warms the cockerels of my heart. It’s also particularly amusing if he wakes up because every single time he does, he looks confused about why he’s not over on his side. Adorable.

8.50am – The Peruvians

I get my morning coffee from Pie Face. The smell of all the pastry makes me a bit nauseous but it’s a pleasure to exchange my first words of each day with the four crazy Peruvians that work there. Every few days they tell me something new about Peru and every single day they joke and smile and sing with their customers. Sometimes they give me a free cookie to ‘keep me sweet’.

Last week they kicked someone out of their shop for being grumpy.

I look forward to seeing them even more than I look forward to the coffee. Which for me is massive. 

8.57am – The whiteboard

Next to our building is a cute little florist that has been around for more than twenty years. Each morning they write a random message or poem on the board hanging in the window. I love reading it.

Once I made the owner mad because I forgot to pick up a white rose I’d ordered for Ian. Not only did I get a severe talking to but the next day they changed the message to a passively aggressive  ‘Roses are red, violets are blue, White roses are available SO DON’T FORGET TO PICK UP YOURS TOO’.

The guy in the shop scares me but I love his whiteboard.

8.58am – The teenage mutant ninja turtle

The same flower shop mentioned above does a spectacular flower arrangement for our foyer each week. I mentally rate each one out of ten and they rarely score below 7.5. My favourite thing about the flower display is the ninja turtle figurine that the girl on the concierge desk adds to the display each morning. It’s Michelangelo and she hangs him from the flowers or positions him so he looks like he is kicking the berries or hiding under the bark. Each night she packs him away in her drawer and then she repositions him the next day.

It’s like looking for Where’s Wally every morning.

I’ve spoken to my colleagues about this and no one else seems to have seen him. Which means that either:

– I imagine a ninja turtle on a daily basis that that doesn’t actually exist

– No one else is as good at finding him.

I hope it’s the latter.