EARLY MORNING WISDOM

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep. ~Rumi

It’s 3:30 am and I am wide awake. It’s not that my husband is snoring or because my 11-1/2-year-old son is away at camp and the house feels empty; no, it’s because this is the time I usually get up and have the morning to myself.

I’ve always been an extremely early riser. There is something sacred about having the early hours to myself to reflect, ponder or meditate and savoring that first cup of coffee alone to think about the possibilities of what the day will bring.

When I was around 8 or 9 years old, I would get up early and go into the kitchen; my mom would be sitting alone in the dark with a cup of coffee. The window would be slightly open, and the soft scent of the cool morning would fill the air. I remember the lights being very dim or completely off and my mom would be sitting at the table with her “I (Heart) Mom!” mug. The only sound was the occasional sound of her throat as she swallowed a sip of black coffee. We never exchanged a word or a greeting; instinctively, I knew this was her quiet time. I would back up quietly and leave the kitchen to and go back to bed to read and wait for signs of life in the kitchen.

Here I am, many years later with a similar routine: I love getting up long before my husband and kids do and savoring that first sip of French Press and taking in the possibilities of a new day; it is a time to reflect, meditate, journal and be grateful.

This “alone time” is vital: it grounds me and sets the tone for my day; without this time, I feel like a fish out of water. I close my eyes and feel wisdom, knowledge, and strength deep from within; I am in the present; there are no regrets, there is no anxiety or worry, just the promise of a new day.

I think what the world would look like if more people took time for themselves each day and imagine more joy and happiness; more peace and calm. In the yard, I heard the soft “hoo’h’Hoo-hoo-hoo” of a Great Horned Owl calling out and in the quiet morning. I smile: the wise owl agrees.