GOOD Morning!
I revel in the comfort and great joy this simple ritual brings.
I wake up every most mornings and watch the sun come up. My bio clock has gotten used to it and I find that my eyes pop open at a certain time, and depending on the season, either in the dark or when there is the tiniest sliver of light on parts of the horizon. Then - I wait. I have an amazing view I enjoy from the comfort of my bed: I wake up in a painting and I am grateful for that EVERY SINGLE DAY. After some lovely moments absorbing the beauty I am propelled out of bed rather quickly as I remember the next highlight of a new day. No matter how tired...the excitement and anticipation around my absolute favorite ritual - tea and toast - gets me moving! It is TRULY THE BEST TIME OF THE DAY.
The house is perfectly still, quiet… I tiptoe around making the preparations, boiling the water to just the right temperature, heating both my tea cup and teapot with hot water, letting the tea steep - arranging all just so - a sort of mise en place - putting in my earpods some days, “listening” to the quiet on others, and I continue watching the arrival of a new day. Completely still, I simply sip and see, watching as the world comes alive again for another day. I don’t consume anything other than food and drink. No phone in hand, no television on and no planning the day just yet, simply - BEING. I revel in the comfort and great joy this simple ritual brings. It’s wonderfully centering. The process cannot be rushed: at least an hour is needed to appreciate it so there is no feeling of being hurried or being disturbed by the activity of the rest of the household waking up. It may mean getting up in the dark some days but it’s worth it. You are able to start your day from a place of calm.
I am a meditator and one of the ideas I really love, and find really “helpful'', is that no matter how gray the skies, or turbulent the weather - literally and figuratively - there is ALWAYS blue sky. I am often reminded of the concept as, on some days even with the most stunning sunrises and mornings, the clouds can encroach and cover up that beauty in short order yet I still know, the blue sky is always there. Again, literally and figuratively.
Thanks to a friend, I have recently added a particular mantra to my morning routine, and one that I remind myself of throughout the day. They are the words of writer Annie Dillard: “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” I find this sentiment incredibly powerful in its simplicity.
Whether it’s tea and toast, a cup of coffee or your beverage of choice, try ritualizing the “event” and it will become so much more. This practice has changed the way I feel about the approach of each new day and living “in” it with intention.
Do you have an important routine/ritual that supports you?
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