I think it’s interesting how people have different styles of waking up to an alarm clock. First of all, there is the choice of the alarm itself – do you wake to music, beeping sounds, sounds of nature, or a loud annoying “wah-wah-wah” sound? When I was growing up, I got a hand-me-down plastic alarm clock (I think the clear face of it was missing) that made the most awful sound. What’s amazing, now that I think about it, was it had no snooze option! How did I ever exist?
I knew as an adolescent that there HAD to be a better way to wake up than being startled by sound similar to a plane’s engines being transmitted through a megaphone next to my head! As soon as I was old enough to realize one could be awakened to music, I purchased my own radio alarm clock! I prefer soft, soothing music, especially instrumental. Now, you have to consider how others use the snooze option. My dear husband (Dear) uses his cell phone’s alarm. The problem with this is not the phone alarm itself, but how Dear sets it. At bedtime, he usually decides he needs to get up early the next morning in order to get to work a bit early. Let’s say, he plans on getting up at 7:00 am, so, he will set his alarm for 6:30. The next morning, his alarm will ring, oh…about 5 times and he will set it for “snooze” each time. Then, at about 7:20 or so, he finally turns off the alarm and gets out of bed. I tend to awaken after one push of my snooze button – so after I’ve heard his alarm 3 or 4 times – I’M AWAKE! During the school week, this is not a problem. I usually set my alarm for 6:20 am since I get up a few minutes earlier than I have to get the kids up to get them ready for school (I need a little “me” time). However, on the weekends, Dear still sets his alarm for about an hour earlier than he will actually get up (with all good intentions of course)- and I am up an hour earlier than I had planned to get up!
What’s my point? Here it is: BEFORE you get married, be CERTAIN you know how your soon-to-be-spouse-for-life sets his alarm – AND how many times he hits the snooze button before he gets out of bed!
