What are your morning rituals? What does the first hour of your day look like?
Life is getting up an hour early, to live an hour more. – Unknown
My early mornings start the evening before. My devices shut down into bedtime mode by 9:45 pm, which means that all notifications and emails are delivered silently. And while I may go to sleep a little later, I am usually in bed by this time. And this ensures that I am up around 4 am every morning waiting for my alarm to go off at 415am. Typically, this first alarm is decided by the kids’ morning plans, if it’s regular school then 415 am is perfect timing, if there is earlier school then it’s a 4 am start.
All my alarms are songs shortlisted and selected by the kids or me. My 4am alarm is the song, December by Collective Soul. I never wait for the song to play; I wake up to the first note and switch it off immediately. I spend the next couple of minutes, just waking up completely, flexing my fingers, stretching, and thinking of and making plans for the day. An early morning start makes me feel like I have extra time on hand to do a little more.
In the morning instead of saying to yourself, ‘I got to wake up’ say ‘I get to wake up!’ – Erykah Badu
I wake up bright and fresh, thankful that I get another day with the family. Another day to talk and catch up. Another opportunity to hug and cuddle with them, to smell the fresh air, to listen to the birds. My first order of business is to catch up on messages and emails, just a glance to see if the school/teachers have sent out notifications or emails for extended classes or early morning practice. This usually dictates the lunch prep and I prefer to get these details before I start prep in the kitchen rather than try to figure out alternatives. I’ve had notifications come in at 11 pm and in some instances at 3 am. So, the check is more to ensure I have the right quantities of boxes prepared for the kids.
Once I have the details, of durations, it’s to the kitchen to prep. I get the kids’ milk ready, tea for the spouse, and coffee for myself. Then breakfast gets done along with lunch. All of this takes the first hour every morning. Once the boxes are packed and bottles are put away, I do my first walk-through of the home, to see what’s lying around, what’s to be tidied up, and what’s to be cleaned. Kids are woken up, and curtains are opened so there are no illusions about the time they have- to dilly-dally in bed, and I head to the table for my cup of coffee.
I love early mornings when it feels like the rest of the world is still fast asleep and I’m the only one who’s awake, and everything seems unreal. I forget my aches and pains, my problems, and worries because for now, it’s just me and the world and the silence. I usually get about 15 minutes between the wake-up calls and the kids coming to the table, where it’s just me and the world- coming to terms with one another. On some days, I step out onto the balcony to see what the world looks like and what’s in store for the day. On other days, I just walk to the plants and stand and observe them, making a note of what is required to be done.
“But I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world.” – EB White
But these morning moments are precious. I am a grouch without my first cup of coffee, and I prefer to have this when I am good and ready to do so- which means that I am a grouch until then. My focus is the milk, tea, breakfast, and lunch, after which I focus on myself when I either walk to the balcony or the plants and plan my day. Around this time, I usually have my coffee and it’s only after this, that the kids come out, coinciding with me being ready for a conversation.
I’ve had house guests who have met the grouch first thing in the morning and have no idea how to deal with them and I’ve lived with the family who are aware of my idiosyncrasies and wait patiently till that coffee kicks in before they broach a topic. The kids don’t bother me until they finish their milk, which gives me bonus time to wake up and be ready to get updates on what they think their day will look like. This is usually an hour and thirty minutes into the day, and I am more than ready to tackle whatever comes my way. And the choice between trying to improve the world and enjoying the world is a very big decision I take every morning. And this decision dictates the tone for the rest of the day. A conundrum of magnificent proportions having a ripple effect even if I say so myself!
Just a little more 