Labeling

As I was getting my second cup of tea (Dragonwell Superior Green) and thinking about my day I heard my mind saying that I am not really a morning person.  I stopped short on that one and rethought it.  I've always labeled myself as not a morning person but lately I've found a fair amount of pleasure in getting up at 5AM and starting my day more slowly.  That got me thinking about both change and how easy it is to label and categorize everything.  I may not have been keen on early morning rising in the past, but maybe I've changed.  Or maybe what I like now is that I know I have this time to myself.  I keep the house quiet (as I no longer feel I have to have my stereo, iPod, tv/dvd, whatever on constantly).  I move at my own rhythm and get things done (or not done) in whatever order makes sense to me.  

In any case, whether or not I'm a morning person isn't really the issue.  What matters is how quickly I was ready to label myself, to slide myself into a narrow box, and how quickly I do that with life in general.  We all know that labeling is "bad," when it is done without thought, or knowledge, or respect.  But I suspect a certain amount of labeling is also necessary for survival at various levels.  So as is true of most things, the motive behind the labeling is what matters.  Do I limit myself unnecessarily by saying I'm not a morning person?  Yes!  Does this limit my ability to try new things?  Probably yes also!  Is this a way of keeping myself closed off from life?  Again, probably yes!  So I shall just try to be aware of when I tell myself things that begin with "You are not . . .," or "You always . . .," or "You never . . .," as absolute statements are rarely true and rarely helpful.  Have a great day!