Maps & Mugs: My Favorite Time of Day

I always have a hard time deciding what my favorite season or my favorite time of day are. I can narrow my favorite season down to autumn and spring. At times, I am completely certain of which season I enjoy most. But then, the season starts changing and I remember what I loved so much about the other. At least I'm able to narrow it down somewhat. With time of day, I am completely hopeless.

By nature, I am a night owl so I'm able to stay awake hours after I should be sleeping doing things I enjoy, such as reading or watching television/movies. I enjoy nighttime, especially when I'm invested in a really good book and have the possibility of finishing it before the sun rises. I'm not sure it's my favorite though.

I love the evening, mostly in the summertime. The day is winding down, the family comes together, the grasshoppers start chirping, my TV shows are almost on. It's an enjoyable time of day. The only reason I can tell you that it isn't my favorite is because I sometimes find it rather melancholy. Mostly, this is because the last few rays of sunshine are disappearing and there is no longer that glow provided by the sun, which means the end of another day.

The middle of the day (early afternoon) can be the most cheerful because (on a good day) it's bright and sunny and there is still so much time and possibility left in the day. It can feel rushed though, especially during the school year.

In all honesty, I wish I was a morning person. There is nothing I would love more than to wake up early and ease into my day with a warm cup of coffee and a book (or TV show or blog or conversation or writing). Summer mornings at the lake are my favorite because I naturally wake up early and have coffee in my pjs with my family on the porch. It's the best when the water is still calm and there are just a few rowers milling about. That's how each day should begin. Instead, I wait until the last possible minute to wake up and rush out the door to whatever obligation I have.

And then there is the sunset, the time of day when the sky lights up with rich colors that don't seem real. The whole world is given a golden glow that makes everything seem perfect, even just for a moment. While this moment is fleeting, as all things in life are, it's beautiful.

So, maybe I have narrowed my favorite time of day down to two options; sunset and early morning. They're similar. They both have a strong sense of calm and allow one to look at life and feel optimistic for what's to come. I don't know it I want to decide, though, because I love both times of day for the feeling they fill me with. They come at opposite ends of the day, so who says I need to choose.

This post arises from my recent visit to Printemps, the department store I previously visited that has an amazing view of Paris from its' roof. We went again, bringing a classmate who hadn't yet visited it, and serendipitously arrived just as the sun was setting. It was absolutely majestic, I wish I could've have stayed in that moment for hours. So, that's what got me thinking about what my favorite time of day is, this beautiful sunset pictured below.