Mornings

I'm not a morning person ~ I wish I was but I'm not.  It usually takes me awhile to come out of my sleeping stupor.  And I've come to the realization that life for me simply seems to go more smoothly if I ease into my day.

I crawl out of bed and put on my tattered house shoes.  As I make my way down the hall, I pull on a sweatshirt and rhythmically turn off every light switch that beckons me to wake up.  The morning people I pass (darn those happy folks) know me well enough by now and leave me to myself as I wander into the kitchen.  My daily ritual begins with my favorite cup of tea ~ (find it here).  

I'm becoming more human now and begin to open up curtains allowing the day to come in.  All the while the water heats on the stove as I anticipate my first cup of heavenly nectar.  As my tea is steeping, I may even tidy up a bit ~ but not too much before the real day begins.

As I cradle the warm cup in my hands, Penny and I traipse into my office and I snuggle up with a blanket in my favorite cushy chair (I recently realized my house slippers and chair have something in common ~ can you figure out what it is?).

I light a candle, take a deep breath and I'm still.  I tune into Pandora and close my eyes and let the music woo me awake as it gives life to my soul.  Then I spend a while reading.  It usually consists of a daily excerpt from The Divine Hours by Phyllis Tickle, a passage from the Bible and possibly a few pages from a self-help read but never, ever, fiction.  Not this early in the morning.  Currently, I'm reading Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin.

Then I have my quiet time ~ I think of all the things I'm thankful for and also do some soul searching and pray for those I love.  I'm by no means standing on a soapbox right now but have learned ~ for me ~ I can't do this life on my own and it's comforting knowing I don't have to.

I'm wide awake by now and am anticipating what the day has in store ~ Carpe Diem is my mantra by choice as I draw in another deep breath to go take on my day.  However you choose to embrace your morning ~ I do indeed hope it is lovely in every way.

P.S.  I would be happy for you to follow me on Instagram ~ it's snapshots of life as I know it.  You can follow me here.