Waking Early
I've never been one to shy away from early mornings. As teenagers, my sister and I would be ready to leave the house for school by 7.45am at the latest and sometimes we would rise early with my dad on a Sunday to bake bread and enjoy an early breakfast bun straight from the oven. As I've grown older and wiser, these habits have not only continued but have developed into a set routine. On a weekday, my alarm sounds at 5.50am after half an hour of my new lumie clock awakening my senses, tricking me into thinking the sun is already peeping over the horizon, and I haul myself out of bed just after 6am. Weekends can vary, but I'm usually up by 7.30am and often rise earlier. I like routine. I like the feeling of getting out of bed and realising that I'm the only one in the house on the move, but my routines are slackening.
With a puppy whining for attention and an old house without a working shower (only baths for us!) it can be very difficult to find any time at all for myself. Roll the clock back seven or eight months and I'd have time to write a blog post or two and still leave the house for work at 7.15am, but I feel like I'm losing grip of this previous, quiet time. So I've decided to reclaim my mornings; starting tomorrow I'm going to inch back the alarm until 5.20am is once again bearable. Here's why:
- I like silence. Some people can't stand it, they need noise to feel relaxed, at ease, but for me the absence of sound is when I can truly allow my mind to rest. Before the sun rises sound is at a minimum: no whirring of the boiler; no cars rushing on the roads; no TV or radio blaring out; just the stillness of the morning.
- Making exercise a priority is something I have put off for far too long. The problem is that once I get back from work and make dinner, any motivation to get moving again is long gone. So to solve this, I'm going to try to get moving in a morning instead.
- I want to enjoy eating breakfast again. A rushed slice of toast as I fling open the car door, or a half eaten cereal bar once I get to work does not an exciting start to the day make. Having time to make porridge or even pancakes on those days where I need a lift is definitely something I want to focus on.
Do you have a morning routine? Do you find it easier to get things done in the quiet of the early mornings?