My favorite time of day used to be first thing in the morning. I would wake up with my coffee already made (the inventor of the programmable coffee maker deserves a Noble prize), sit on the couch and read the morning paper. It was a nice, quiet, relaxed start to each day. Then my local morning paper became too much money for too little news, and smart phones and social media really took off. My morning paper gradually gave way to laying in bed and checking my FaceBook (and then Twitter, and THEN Instagram, and then there’s SnapChat….you get my drift), and went directly to drinking/gulping coffee while I cooked breakfast for my kids. My new habits invariably left me running late and not in the best mood depending on what was trending on social media…bad news=bad mood.
Lately I have been deliberate about NOT checking my phone right before I go to sleep, and NOT checking it as soon as I wake up either. This week I started waking up 45 minutes before I have to start getting ready for work. And I’ve been drinking my coffee and reading. I finished my new favorite book “Love Warrior” and I’ve started reading the blog “Momastery” by the book’s author, Glennon Doyle Melton. My days this week have gotten off to a much better start. So much so that I actually cooked chocolate chip pancakes for my kids this morning (I used to do this all the time and have been slacking as of late).
Everyone was in a good mood this morning and got out the door on time. I even had time to re-do my 10-year old’s bun 3 times before it looked right to her. Today is going to be good day.
The optimism today could be my efforts to return to my morning habits. It could be I’m getting better sleep. It could be the absence of eye-strain from not checking my phone screen and reading in the dark at 6:00am. And it could just be the chocolate chip pancakes. I think chocolate chip pancakes make any day better.
Wozani Was'te 