Monday: 4:30 am- My alarm clock jolted me from my sleep, one would think I’d get used to screaming music waking me up after two years of it but no- it’s still a shock. I didn’t open my eyes, in fact, I closed them as tightly as possible because I didn’t want to be awake. I wanted more sleep. The gym and spin class beckoned though…

Tuesday: 5:45 am- Tired from yesterday, I hit snooze several times. Didn’t desire consciousness on any level but had to get up for devotional time and oatmeal before going to the office.

Wednesday: 7:40 am- My alarm didn’t wake me up! I never switched my phone from vibrate to the scary loud I need to get me up! Needing to be at work in twenty minutes, I ditched clothing as I ran to the bathroom for a shower that lasted long enough for my hair to get wet. I felt like I was in a rush for the remainder of the day…

Thursday: Somewhere between 1:00 and 2:37 am- I woke up to a nightmare. Something glass broke down stairs and I listened as my neighbors yelled profanities. I listened as the young couple seemed to bounce off walls and say horrible things to each other. Tyler, their toddler cried the entire time. My face burned with anger and I forced myself to pray for the dysfunctional “non-traditional” family downstairs. I think he hits her. Didn’t go back to sleep until after my roommate called the cops.

Friday: 4:30 am- The screaming woke me up and gave the heart a good start like it usually does. Glad it’s Friday and happy to be going to the gym.

Saturday: 9:00 am- I smiled and breathed heavily. Closed eyes couldn’t keep the bright light of the morning sun out of my room. Pointed toes and clenched fists stretched out in opposite directions as I yawned. I crashed hard the night before after watching movies with friends. I was ready to face the day.

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All of us make basic assumptions about what our return to consciousness will look and feel like when we crawl into bed and close our eyes at night. We feel safe and content with these assumptions because most of the time, they turn out to be true. We expect to wake up where we fell asleep. Opening our eyes to a whole new surrounding is a little startling. This happened to me frequently when I was a child because I walked in my sleep. It happened just as frequently when I was a teenager, but beer was the major influence in not knowing where I was when I cracked my eyes open in the morning.

We also assume that we’ll wake up when we want or must get up and prepare for the day. I once was awoken by a car hitting our house. I thought it was an earthquake and screamed like a little girl.

The transition from slumber to sensibility isn’t exclusive to waking up from our nightly rest. The metaphor might be old and tired, but even after the Beatles, Wham!, The Proclaimers, Bone Thugs N Harmony, and One Republic (these artists are just a drop in the bucket) have written songs about waking up, it’s still the best metaphor for opening our eyes to something new. My best awakening was spiritual. It happened after someone introduced me to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. There was no screaming involved in either of these introductions, but copious amounts of cigarette smoke was instead.

We can’t set an alarm for revelation, so can we always count on experiencing those eye-opening experiences? If they happen enough, do you become accustomed to these manifestations? I think we do, regardless of whatever epiphany we encounter.