i wasn’t a morning person until i was forced to become one. when i started working at the coffee shop i frequently opened the store which meant having to get to the store early to set everything up before the store opened to customers. i had to quickly adjust to getting up early. when i say early, i don’t mean 6am or even 5am; i’m talking about waking up at 3:30 or 4:30am four or five days a week. getting up that early in the morning is rough, one of the many factors that contributed to my overwhelming mental and physical stress.
back in my coffee shop days, i would wake up with just enough time to get dressed, wash up and drive to work. being late was not an option, and i still wanted to get as much sleep as possible. given how early we had to get to work to open the store i couldn’t wake up even earlier to make breakfast or a drink a cup of coffee or indulge in any of those morning rituals that so many take for granted.
my current job allows me to indulge. i work monday through friday from 8:30am until 5pm. it is the same every day, every week. and now i have more time in the morning for myself. i still get up early, before the sun, but now it’s by choice, and because i want to use that exra time to indulge.
i wake up at 6am, shower, do my hair, finish cleansing my face (i have recently fallen down the rabbit hole of multi-step korean skin care), and get dressed. then i move into the kitchen. the night before i grind my beans for my morning coffee. i make my cafe au lait to take to work. while my coffee is brewing, i eat a spot of breakfast. sometimes it’s peanut butter toast, or a granola bar, or an energy waffle. i love the silence of the morning; i get to enjoy the stillness, the calm, let my mind wander. i think about the day ahead, the coming weekend, the book i’m currently reading or anything else that pops up. once my coffee is done and breakfast eaten, i brush my teeth and finalize any finishing touches. then i grab my coffee tumbler and head to the car.
my drive to work can be long, there’s traffic, and i hate being late. i have a radio show that i like to listen to, giving me a nice laugh to start off my day.
morning rituals help me start my day with a sense of calmness, stillness, and peace. i feel less stressed at work, at home, on the weekend. i love spending that precious morning time alone with my thoughts. i think it is very important to have those moments, morning or otherwise, where we can be alone with our thoughts.
lacey life 