I am a morning person. I've said that so many times. Because it is true. I revel in the still, quiet, fresh, unsullied crispness of a new morning. Mornings are my time to shine. Nights are my time to sleep.
I have a morning rhythm that involves 5 activities. And I think these 5 components are a huge reason why I love mornings and consider myself a morning person.
1. Coffee with my husband. I spend time with the person I love the most. We compare notes about what we have on our schedules for the day, pray together, and delve into deep topics on occasion. Added perk-on non-swimming mornings, my coffee gets delivered to me in bed. That's room service...
2. Exercise. I may get up at 4:45 to swim or at 5:45 to run, or neither may happen until after 9:00, but I try to exercise 5 to 6 mornings a week. (Sunday morning is generally the one morning I plan to not exercise) It is a chunk of time carved out for my physical and mental health. By exercising in the morning, I know it's done and that it isn't going to be bumped off for all the other claims on me and my time.
3. Make the bed. It restores order to one area in my often chaotic life and schedule and home. It looks neat. It takes like 2 minutes, but then I already have something done.
4. Shower. I am NOT one of the people who go days without showering. I take showers every morning. I lock the bathroom door, turn on the heat, and let the water beat down. It is cleansing (obviously), on more than just a surface level. And frankly, I don't allow my kids to interrupt me while I'm in the bathroom. Really, someone had better be dying, or it can wait.
5. Bible reading. I spend time listening to God speak to me through His word. I have plans that I follow to read through the Bible in a year. This is my most important relationship. It shapes all the other relationships. Which is why I make time for it in the mornings.
All these things happen almost every morning, but they don't happen in a certain order. Some mornings I drink coffee with Mr. Hippie first. Some mornings I exercise first. Some (rare) mornings, I shower first. The order is not the most important factor. The happening is.
My mornings ritual addresses my spirit, soul, and body. It helps me feel centered even if the rest of the day goes to hell in a hand-basket. Just sayin'.
Some days my mornings start early. Sometimes I have done all these things before 8:00. Sometimes I don't even roll out of bed until after 8:00. But, whatever time I happen to start my day, these 5 things play their part right at the start.
Do you have a morning ritual? A rhythm that defines the early hours of your days?
