On morning routines
I’ve recently settled back into my favorite morning routine after a spring and summer of the “barely sleeping” to “sleeping in” cycle. It’s interesting how stress can manipulate your life so thoroughly, isn’t it?
On to the routine…
I wake up before sunrise. I find this practice of waking up naturally leaves me more rested than when I wake up to an alarm. I climb out of bed to take a hot shower. The water wakes me up, and I make a list in my head of all the things I’d like to accomplish for the day.
Toweled off and dressed, I tell the cat, “Let’s look at the birds,” and he leads the way, meowing with his tail held high, to the balcony so we can watch the first streaks of sunrise across the lake. The cat purrs and rubs against my legs, and I open the glass so we can hear the bird calls. As fall deepens, the Canadian geese flock to my lake, and it’s wonderful to hear them call to each other as they fly overhead before splashing into the water.
Thoroughly satisfied by the beautiful view, I climb the stairs to my library in the eaves. While I might write a little, I do not pressure myself into reaching a certain word count. Instead, I reread what I wrote the day before and think about what I’d like to write today. I map out the emotions the characters will experience, and I curate my daily playlist to fit.
I cannot get through a full hour of this without at least one of the cats climbing onto my lap. It’s a truly effective way to make me pause and pay attention to them. One cat will wander away watch the birds more, while the other might climb to the back of my chair so she can watch me as she dozes off. Musing is a group effort here.
Morning filters through the skylight, reminding me to save any progress before returning downstairs. With a lighter soul, I turn my focus to the demands of the day.
I find this morning routine to be one of gratitude, presence, and manifestation. I might add a cup of tea to it in the near future. At night, I prefer a cup of chamomile with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Perhaps a chai or Earl Grey for the morning?
