You know what the best time of the day is? Now, I’m not talking lunch, or half an hour after dinner when the night’s assortment of desserts are brought out of the fridge. No, the best time of the day lasts a little over 30 seconds—if you’re lucky enough. Its that fleeting moment somewhere in between dreams and reality, between the sun rising and the alarm going off. Its that moment when the body wakes up, but the brain is still in its own waking process, not unlike the booting of a computer.
In those precious few seconds, while the body stretches and rolls over to find the warm spot on the sheets, there is no test today that you forgot to study for. The house is pristine, and your favorite song is playing in time to your heartbeat. The person you love most is lying next to you, sleeping peacefully, and the day is yours to do whatever you wish. There are no negative emotions, because the body is only capable of happiness, grateful for the nights rest and recuperation. It doesn’t worry about last night’s mistakes. It doesn’t even know what a mistake is.
But before you know it, the moment is over. The human brain—the most powerful supercomputer in the world—has finished booting up for the day, and much like when your computer starts up for the first time, everything comes flooding back to you all at once, like little applications you forgot to close before logging off for the night. You’re going to fail that chemistry test because you neglected to study for it. The dishes have piled up, the cat hair is never going to come off your slacks, and the only music you’re hearing is the cat and dog facing off in the next room. The only thing lying next to you is the book you were supposed to read, and that cellphone that died because you forgot to charge it. You remember last night’s argument and your heart sinks.
Why can’t that beautiful moment of blissful ignorance last forever?