By Victoria Moran

I don't always bound out of bed with great expectations about the day ahead, but when I can hear my grandmother saying, "This is the day the Lord has made: I will rejoice and be glad in it," it helps. And when I get up on the early side of morning instead of the snooze-alarm side, ah, what a difference!

It stretches out the morning. You could even see it as a way of living longer.

There's no excuse not to meditate.

Or go to the gym.

You'll be sure and make your bed before you leave the house. Just remembering that you did that gives you a better day.

There's time for a real breakfast.

You get to see your city or town when it's fresh and new---just you and the street cleaners and the paperboys.

You don't have to rush to get to work.

You can get to your desk with time to spare to straighten things up a bit, check personal email, and maybe start the coffee so the person who usually does that gets a pass.

You're starting your day in rhythm with nature. According to the time-honored Indian healing system of Ayurveda, there's a wake-up energy in the early morning from 5:30 to 7 o'clock or so, and a slow-down-and-help-you-sleep energy from 9 to 10:30 at night.