I love mornings. I love getting up early and beginning the day quiet. I began to realize the productivity of the morning hours when I was in college. I was having a hard time staying up late to study so I would go to bed and set my alarm for 2:00am and get up and finish what I needed to get done. After college I drifted back to being someone who didn’t get up until they had to. Years later, after marriage and kids I was wanting to find space in my life for exercise. The best time to do that was in the early hours so that I was not disrupting the family schedule. Over the years I have swam at the pool at 5:00am or attended a class at the gym at 4:45. After a while I began getting up even earlier so that I could read my bible before I worked out.
Life is always changing and adjustments have to be made. But the one thing that I haven’t given up is my morning time. Even during chemo I got up most days between 4:30 and 5:00, a lot of times it was just to move from my bed to the couch but the effort made me feel better. We get our kids up at 6:00am for school so if I get up any later than 5:00 I really feel like I have missed out on my me time. Honestly though before I got sick and now that I am healthy I get up most days of the week at 3:45am. It’s my most favorite time of the day and here is why:
- Uninterrupted time reading God’s word and journaling – My mind is constantly racing and easily distracted. With the house totally quiet I have an easier time focusing and really paying attention to what I am reading. To aid in the focus I write my prayers and thoughts in a journal so that I stay on task and can go back and reflect on what was on my heart in any given season.
- The roaring fire, my cozy red blanket and a hot cup of coffee – Living on the Oregon Coast provides ample opportunity for fires in the wood stove. My favorite color is red and my friend Taryn gave me a cozy red blanket for my birthday last year. It is my snuggle on the couch in the morning blanket. Unless I am having a hotflash … which happens at least once and sometimes twice an hour. And coffee? Well I just think that goes without saying… only not during chemo… during chemo it tasted like ashes.
- Uninterrupted time with Mr. Wonderful – Mr. Wonderful began to see the benefits in getting up early a few years back. Most days I am up before him but he comes in and we sit on the couch and just be. We each do our thing and then when we finish up we chat about our day or the schedule or the kids or whatever is on our minds. It’s the only time of the day that I have him all to myself. We own an investment firm that also plans and prepares tax returns. Seeing as it is the 1st of the year his life is ramping up a notch. If there was no morning time, there would be no time at all.
- Writing time – Whether it’s in my journal or for my blog, the morning is when my thoughts are the most clear. Emotions haven’t crept in yet clouding my judgement or imagination. I like to let the words flow. Some of them I post publicly and some I keep to myself. I find great joy in expressing myself through the written word. I like to go back and read what I have written to see what has changed, what hasn’t changed and to inspire myself to keep moving forward.
- The Sunrise – I can’t count the many sunrises I have seen over the years. Whether from my back deck, or out on a run or driving home from the gym. We have a lot of cloudy days here but oh when the sun pokes her glorious self out for us to enjoy it is one spectacular sight to behold. I think that the sun rising is one of God’s greatest gifts to us. In the still of the morning when the sun begins to peek out over the mountains, there is such peace and calm and promise. Even in the darkest hours of life, even if it is only for a few seconds, the rising of the sun makes you pause, take a deep breath and hope in the possibilities that only a new day can bring. In fact this is the sunrise that I am enjoying as I write this morning…
I’ve gotta be honest and say that getting up early isn’t always easy. There are lots of days that I am already awake and lots of days when the alarm jerks me out of bed. I have at times succumbed to the sleepys and have always regretted it. My day just isn’t the same without my morning time and this is mainly because if I stay in bed… there is no quiet time, Mr Wonderful time, cozy couch time, writing time and sunrise time. When you go too many days without partaking in some of your favorite things in life then you and everyone around you begins to suffer.
Not everyone is a “morning person” and I totally get it but for me the morning, helps me breathe.
Have a great day, All!
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