When the morning is mine

On weekday mornings, things tend to be shortened or rushed. I find a way to squeeze in my morning prayer and have a cup of coffee before I head out the door with the kids, but there’s so many days I wish I could get more out of my mornings, so to speak. As it is, I usually get up at 5 (give or take, depending on when I can get into bed -- I aim for 6 hours of sleep) just so I can have a little “me time” before I wake Jennifer up for school. So “get up early,” while still good advice, is not an option to get more, because I REALLY don’t see myself getting up earlier than that. So I pretty much resigned myself to just squeezing in a couple of “morning joys” for myself before it was time to get the day going, or at least cut down on how long I got to indulge in them.

Today was different. Jennifer does not have school today and Jesse’s time-of-arrival at the preschool is iffy. (It’s 8ish or 9ish.) So that meant I did get more time to do things this morning, because I didn’t HAVE to wake the kids up! Yay!

And what a lovely morning it was, too.

As always, I had my morning prayer. Let the dog out and enjoyed my cup of coffee – but this time, I was able to sit down and enjoy that coffee, instead of grabbing a drink from it here and there as I helped the kids get ready.

Also, I got to have a longer workout. Hooray! I really got into that workout and started to feel bummed when the 20 minutes was almost up. Then I realized, I don’t have to stop after 20 minutes! LET’S! DO! 30! And that’s exactly what I got to do this morning: A 30-minute workout. Awesome! I was really supercharged and revved up after that! Sweaty, too, though, but that’s a good sign.

After the workout, I also got to enjoy a nice, long hot shower. How nice not to have to rush through a shower like always! Even after I got out of the shower and got dressed, the kids were STILL asleep! Yayness.

Another thing I got to do this morning? Enjoy the sunrise – I mean REALLY enjoy it. Instead of looking out the window to catch sight of the sun appearing in the sky as I get the kids ready (or even see it from my car window as I drive Jen to her bus stop), I got to sit in a chair and stare out the window, enjoying a bowl of oatmeal as I watched the colors take over the previously-gray sky. It was breathtaking and so refreshing. Sometimes, seeing those beautiful colors of purple, orange, pink and white light up the clouds is just like catching a glimpse of Heaven.

Watching out the window, I saw the lady walking her army of Chihuahuas along the street. We see her from time to time. It is so cute watching those little dogs scurry along their way.

And, finally, I had a chance to check my email. It was nice to have time to answer emails so early in the morning!

Then Jesse woke up and so started the “busyness” of the day. Yet I went into it grateful for the chance to have that extended amount of “me time” to enjoy before taking the day on, because then I was ready to do the “them time.”