To say sleep has been my friend this week would be an utterly false statement.

In fact, sleep and I have been giving each other the cold shoulder. Now, some would say it’s most likely due to the whole “falling back” in time.

But I love to fall back. Love, love, love it. I’m the person who wakes up at 5:30 a.m. feeling like I got to sleep in because my usual wake time is 6 a.m. It’s the one time a year I feel like I beat the system.

But this week? No. My body has decided that 4:18 a.m. is the new 6 a.m. And I don’t like it. Not even a little bit. It’s been a consistent, predictable, slightly irritating rhythm — eyes pop open, mind alert, soul apparently ready for action, all before the birds even consider their morning songs.

The other day, though, instead of forcing myself to lie in bed trying to wring out another hour of sleep that clearly wasn’t going to show up, I gave in. I ventured downstairs, started the coffee, plopped myself on the couch and opened a book.

The trees were still lit from the evening before, soft and warm. The whole house was wrapped in silence — a silence that felt like a warm electric blanket tucked around my shoulders.

And dare I say… I was in bliss.

A whole hour and a half of uninterrupted stillness. No one asking for breakfast. No emails. No Slack messages. No dog tapping his nails on the floor for attention.

Just me, my book, a slowly brewing pot of coffee and a world that wasn’t quite awake yet.

Let me be very clear here: I do not want to make a habit of this. And I’m pretty sure these early mornings are happening because of all the things stirring around in my mind lately. One might call it stress.

One might call it overwhelm. One might call it the mid-November “everything is happening at once” season.

But it also felt like my body was saying, “Wake up. Take a moment. Breathe. Not just while sleeping — while awake.”

“Pause in the silence.

“Pick up that book you’ve been meaning to read.

“Get lost in a whole other world before your real one demands all your pieces.

“Escape without escaping.”

It was exactly what I needed, even though I never would’ve chosen it.

And while I’m still hoping this doesn’t become my new routine, the experience did plant something important in me.

It reminded me that I don’t have to wait until the coffee gurgles its “ready” song before going downstairs. It reminded me that I have the choice — every once in a while — to be the first one awake. To start the coffee.

To sit in the quiet. To keep the TV off. To open something other than my computer. To not immediately launch myself into productivity mode the minute my eyes open.

Sometimes, slipping into the day gently is the reset you didn’t know you were craving.

From me to you — when was the last time you let yourself sit in silence — truly sit in it?

What might you hear if you gave yourself space before the world barged in?

And if your mind is waking you early, is it trying to burden you — or gently nudging you toward something you actually need?

Mother, author, entrepreneur and founder of Dandelion-Inc, Lisa Resnick wants to hear your story. Share memories with her by emailing lisa@dandelion-inc.com.