I have a friend whose mornings are recurrent catastrophes. He creates these maelstroms by setting his alarm to go off as late as he possibly can. His goal is to enjoy those last few moments of sleep and still get to work on time. As a result, he jerks awake each morning at the alarm’s raucous call, rubs the sleep from his eyes and jumps out of bed. He rushes to shower, shave, dress, and grab some coffee and a bagel. Then, he runs out the door to his car, drives to work as fast as traffic will allow and careens into the parking lot. Finally, he hurries into his office and usually collapses at his desk just in time for work to begin.
But that’s not all. By mid morning, exhaustion clouds both his thinking and activities. After a very full day of work, he drags himself home in the evening, bemoaning the heavy load he carries. Though my friend seems to plan his life for that morning rush, he often complains about how hectic and chaotic his life has become.
Mornings are a crucial time for us. They set the tone for our days, mentally, emotionally and physically. Taking time for a little reverie early can energize our lives into productive performance throughout the hours that follow. This probably requires arising from sleep earlier in order to have the time to reflect and order the coming day.
Medical professionals recommend starting with a good breakfast. Others extol times of meditation or exercise. I have developed the practice of choosing books to read in the early morning hours, the only time of my day that I can control what I am thinking.
When we are refreshed in the morning, we can meet the day’s challenges with equanimity, thoughtfulness and vigor, using a positive attitude to respond to our circumstances.
CHAMPS greet the morning with a song.
