Inspiration: This piece begins with this prompt: "When I wake up before sunrise, I feel..." This was inspired by a similar prompt that we used in class on Wed May 1 2019: "On rainy days, I feel..." I've been meaning to share that short piece, but I'll save it for another day since it's not raining today. I did, however, wake up at around 4:30am today, and I wanted to write about that.
Timing: I wrote this piece on Tue Jul 9 2019 with a 30-minute write at home.
Timing: I wrote this piece on Tue Jul 9 2019 with a 30-minute write at home.
***
When I wake up before sunrise, I feel inspired.
This morning, I inexplicably woke up at 4:30. Rather than feeling anxious about only getting around 4 hours of sleep, I instead felt grateful to be awake. I stayed in bed for another half hour, meditating quietly to ready my mind and stretching lightly to wake my body. At 5am, I made my way out of bed slowly and deliberately, each step engulfed in the blue darkness before dawn.
Truffle stood outside the bedroom door. I gave him a little head rub and whispered, "Good morning, Wuffie." He hopped alongside me and stopped just short of the hardwood leading into the kitchen. From there, I mindfully continued my carefully curated morning routine.
I brushed my teeth. I scraped my tongue. I splashed water on my face. I put on my skincare. I changed the water in Truffle and Lulu's little bowls. Lulu and I cuddled. I fed her. I oil pulled. I journalled. I updated a few spreadsheets. I drank warm water with lemon and cayenne pepper. I made tea. I did some light yoga. The sun rose. The fountains on the terrace turned on. I listened to a podcast. I put on my makeup. I pet Truffle. I did the dishes. I made coffee for hubby. I watered a plant.
By 8am, I had completed my entire morning routine, and it felt great.
Delighted by my morning productivity, I then gave myself permission to procrastinate for a while and that's where hubby found me when he woke up -- at my computer, deep in the rabbit hole that is the Internet. "Maybe I should go to Portugal this winter?" He must be used to my random ideas and utterances by now. I kissed him goodbye as he left for work, and continued to procrastinate, probably for a couple of hours in total. Truth be told, I had started to feel a little guilty, like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. But since I woke up early, I had some slack in my day. And that made me feel a bit better. I eventually closed the Portugal research tabs. I bought securities with some excess cash. I journalled again. I started Memoir #5.
I'm learning to trust that I will inevitably get myself back on track. I'm learning to embrace the ebbs and flows that invariably happen within each day. The thing is, when I wake up before sunrise, it's that much easier to learn, embrace, trust, and create.
When I wake up before sunrise, I feel inspired.
This morning, I inexplicably woke up at 4:30. Rather than feeling anxious about only getting around 4 hours of sleep, I instead felt grateful to be awake. I stayed in bed for another half hour, meditating quietly to ready my mind and stretching lightly to wake my body. At 5am, I made my way out of bed slowly and deliberately, each step engulfed in the blue darkness before dawn.
Truffle stood outside the bedroom door. I gave him a little head rub and whispered, "Good morning, Wuffie." He hopped alongside me and stopped just short of the hardwood leading into the kitchen. From there, I mindfully continued my carefully curated morning routine.
I brushed my teeth. I scraped my tongue. I splashed water on my face. I put on my skincare. I changed the water in Truffle and Lulu's little bowls. Lulu and I cuddled. I fed her. I oil pulled. I journalled. I updated a few spreadsheets. I drank warm water with lemon and cayenne pepper. I made tea. I did some light yoga. The sun rose. The fountains on the terrace turned on. I listened to a podcast. I put on my makeup. I pet Truffle. I did the dishes. I made coffee for hubby. I watered a plant.
By 8am, I had completed my entire morning routine, and it felt great.
Delighted by my morning productivity, I then gave myself permission to procrastinate for a while and that's where hubby found me when he woke up -- at my computer, deep in the rabbit hole that is the Internet. "Maybe I should go to Portugal this winter?" He must be used to my random ideas and utterances by now. I kissed him goodbye as he left for work, and continued to procrastinate, probably for a couple of hours in total. Truth be told, I had started to feel a little guilty, like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. But since I woke up early, I had some slack in my day. And that made me feel a bit better. I eventually closed the Portugal research tabs. I bought securities with some excess cash. I journalled again. I started Memoir #5.
I'm learning to trust that I will inevitably get myself back on track. I'm learning to embrace the ebbs and flows that invariably happen within each day. The thing is, when I wake up before sunrise, it's that much easier to learn, embrace, trust, and create.
***
Reflection: Time passes so quickly when I'm writing. I love that I was able to get into a rhythm with this piece, but it's hard to believe that this short memoir took me such a long time to create. I will need to bring this focus into my project work. I'm resisting it right now, but I also felt some resistance when I started this piece today. In my heart of hearts, I know that the focus, energy, and motivation will come to me, if and when I give myself the time and space to create without distractions. Akin to waking up early, it's making the initial commitment that I find most difficult -- a mental hurdle I need to find better ways to overcome. I love having the time and space, but it's hard to take that first step.
Reflection: Time passes so quickly when I'm writing. I love that I was able to get into a rhythm with this piece, but it's hard to believe that this short memoir took me such a long time to create. I will need to bring this focus into my project work. I'm resisting it right now, but I also felt some resistance when I started this piece today. In my heart of hearts, I know that the focus, energy, and motivation will come to me, if and when I give myself the time and space to create without distractions. Akin to waking up early, it's making the initial commitment that I find most difficult -- a mental hurdle I need to find better ways to overcome. I love having the time and space, but it's hard to take that first step.