It’s 8:30 am and I’ve been sitting at this desk since 7, giving quick glances toward the clock hanging on the wall. Morning pages are complete and I’m sipping a cup of instant Espresso while listening to a book by Robin Sharma entitled, “The Everyday Hero”. Hearing his voice read the book soothes my soul while his words inspire me.

While listening to the book, an email comes in on my phone revealing a message from a member of one of our online communities. He has questions, but nothing earth shattering, so I dismiss the message to continue listening to my book. This is huge progress for me! A year ago, I would have paused the book and grabbed my laptop to address his questions, but now I know better. The first few hours of the day are sacred.

I grab my laptop and move to the front of the house and lay the laptop on the large, wooden table. The height of the stool and the solidness of the table brings the words to the page more easily than the comfortable, cushy chair that I sink into at the desk. I switch on a little heater in the corner of the room to warm this area of the house even though the central heat is running. It’s 20℉ outside with a blanket of snow.

I’m still in my pajamas, robe and winter house boots and will remain in them until 10:00 am. I walk over to the coffee bar and make another cup of Bluebottle Instant Espresso, taking note of the jar being almost empty and to order more. I make my way back to the table, but as soon as I sit, the sun comes out. I step away to grab my phone which was left lying in my writing room and go outside to take a photo of the house covered in snow. It’s a rarity in Texas and will be added to this year’s photo book.

The first 2 to 3 hours of the morning are when our minds do the best thinking and I used to give those hours to my work, but no more. The more time I spend nurturing myself in the morning, the better I am toward everyone else. Just like the airline stewardess suggests…I place my oxygen mask on first before placing it on others. This morning ritual suits me better than diving into the day while wearing the oxygen mask.

Feature Photo by Georgia de Lotz on Unsplash