Morning Rituals and Being Still #2
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| On my desk...The Imagined Desks of Historical Women Above, the imagined desk of Amelia Earhart from Dear Hancock |
When I told Mr. H that I wanted to get back to being a morning person again...he laughed and replied "You have never been a morning person!". I could argue that point, for back in the day, when I was shuffling kids off to school, my day started early and I seemed to get so much more accomplished.
Exit the daily romp of kids and enter this new phase in my life, the empty nester phase. I feel betwixt and between about the whole thing. Life has been so busy and crazy that even I often wonder why I feel this need to be an early morning person. But I do, for my sanity if anything else. Studies show you are fresher in the early morning, have more energy, are clearer in thought and if you live in Vietnam...you have much better internet reception in the morning. Very important if you want to keep up with life outside of Vietnam.
All this thinking lead me to iTunes, which lead me to Audiobooks which lead me to Laura Vanderkam and her e-book, simply titled, "What The Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast". The book description suggests that Laura can help you take control of your morning schedule and build habits to be happier and more productive. So...I downloaded it onto my iPhone, all 60 minutes of it.
Yesterday, I listened to it on the flight from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. This morning I listened to it again at the gym. I was interested in Laura's list of possible morning activities. I do not think I will be in a hurry to read all of Shakespeare's plays but there are one or two items here I could see working into my morning routine. You might find something worthy here as well...
Painting, sketching, photography, writing poetry, practising a musical instrument, biking, swimming, weightlifting, yoga, prayer, reading through a book of devotions, meditation, make a gratitude list, writing on your blog, writing 1000 words in a novel, reading articles in professional journals, attending regular networking breakfasts, brainstorming new business lines or sales prospects, reading together for a family book club, reading through all the plays of Shakespeare, making pancakes and baking with the kids, taking a self-paced online class and more...
Laura raises some interesting points in the book and I know I will listen to it again. Bur first, I have to decide what it actually is that I want to accomplish with my mornings and build it into a routine. I have one commitment that I am very excited about. I recently joined Kim Klassen's online photography course Be Still-52 for a year of still-life inspiration. 52 lessons...once a week over the course of one year. I can go at my own pace, which I love. Perfect the peace and quiet of the morning.
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| Be Still-52 here |
And there you have it..morning rituals and Being Still...all year long. If you are interested, you can find Laura's book here and information about Kim's photography classes here.
How about you, are you a morning person?
Sending you budding peach blossoms from Vietnam...
Jeanne :)
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| Peach tree blossoms~ Hanoi, Vietnam © Jeanne Henriques |
Feb 2, 2015
28 Day Writing Challenge, #2
Writing from Chateau Mango
Vietnam time
Hello again ! I am a morning person sometimes and sometimes I like to take my time before stepping outside of my bed mostley because I woke up during the night and sit besides my window in the living room that is in front of a lake. This is a quiet moment and like to watch the reflection of the moon on the icy or snowy lake. We never get to see this phase of the moon. When Spring arrives, I'm definitely a morning person and I never close the drapes in our bedroom that is facing the lake because I want to watch the sunrise. Then, as they say in French : le monde appartient à ceux qui se lèvent tôt (the world belongs to those who wake up early). Have a good day or night.
ReplyDeleteJoanne, I love your thoughts on night watching. It must be a sight, especially on a night like tonight, with a full moon over a lake. Thank you for reading post #2!! Best wishes from Saigon.. :)
DeleteThank you for the wonderful recommendation on Vanderkam's book, and the link.
ReplyDeleteI feel that I'm a person of the weather more than time of day. Looking out an open window on a cold November night to listen to wind and nature is like walking inside all the things I'm afraid of, and not feeling the least bit of fear. I feel as energetic then as I do at a sunny day picnic. On average, I lean towards early morning person. Whatever time feels best, nap time begins yawning around 5 PM.
Thank you Maywyn...love your description of walking inside all the things you are afraid of. Beautiful... :)
DeleteI have NEVER been a morning person either but this last year I'm awaking very early......and actually getting off the bed!I LOVE MY AM time...............for me that means reading YOUR BLOGS and catching up with emails.I can spend three hours here that just SPEEDS by.....................then by 9:30 I start MY REAL DAY!The house, exercise............you know the routine!It probably is MY FAVORITE time of DAY!
ReplyDeleteI love your honesty Elizabeth..Mr. H does too! I can totally relate to those hours speeding by..like today. But what fun I had! Sending you warm wishes from Saigon La Contessa. xx
DeleteHello Jeanne...yes, I'm definitely a morning person...my morning starts with my yoga practice and meditation before I do anything...it's my time to be still...your photography course sounds fabulous, enjoy...looking forward to seeing your shots!
ReplyDeleteThank you Catherine, your morning sounds wonderful. Yoga and meditation...wrapped in cashmere. Heaven! ;)
DeleteI am a morning person also + in the am + I meditate, Journal, workout + get to the computer. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
ReplyDeleteMeditate, journal, exercise, computer. It sounds like a great morning ritual Peggy. Just the though made me take a deep breath, thank you. :)
DeleteLove that French saying (above); sometimes it seems so easy to go straight to the coffee pod machine but I am trying to follow Mireille Guiliano's Frenh Women Don't Get Fat hint of starting with lemon in warm water some mornings. I live on the east coast of Queensland in Australia and agree that moonlight on the water and a sunrise are exquisite moments to experience over and over.
ReplyDeleteNanette...you are speaking my language, "straight to the coffee pod machine" in the morning. I am a Nespresso Lungo person myself, but am trying to reduce my caffeine to one a day. So far so good. Moonlight and sunrise on the water...two glorious times of day. :)
DeleteI am not a morning person and find the day just slips past me while I'm not paying attention. On the days I do manage to roust myself early, i always feel so much more productive. Of course it does depend on the motivation. This morning I was on the freeway before 5am to go help with my sick grandson. Priorities:) are what determine it for me.
ReplyDeleteOh dear...I hope your grandson is ok Jennifer. What a wonderful grandmother you are and how lucky for everyone that you are only a car ride away. xx
DeleteJeanne, I am a night owl, always have been but I am trying to be a morning person these days because 3 pups and a husband will do that to you. I lead a dole life actually, when my husband is not traveling I am a morning person, when he is out of town I am a night owl that gets less sleep than needed because my pups like to walk at 6:30!
ReplyDeleteOh well, at least I get to see the wonders of nature in the early morning light as well as get my 12,500 steps in a day. I love my Fitbit Flex and it has pushed me to move more in the last year.
I must check out this book, and your photography class. I am currently taking a class to learn my camera but I have to tell you I love auto!
Take care dear Jeanne! Travel safe.
I was JUST thinking this morning that I could accomplish SO much more if I got going a little faster in the morning. Exercise would be a good place to start! I love the calendar - after seeing yours on IG, I went online to find one but they are all sold out. I love your photographs too!
ReplyDeleteYup, mornings. That's when I do everything for my blog except actually taking the photos. Speaking of which, I am glad you're investing in your photography skills - you are good at it already and now you will be excellent! And so far so good on my 30 minutes of movement every day:). Thanks for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteMR. works from a home office and neither child has moved out YET so the nest is full and feeling a bit crowded. Because of this, I've turned into a early morning and late night kind of gal. It's the only time I feel like I have the place to myself! Yes everyone is busy and working and the front door is constantly revolving but sometimes....ok this is quickly turning into a personal pity party and you and I cannot stand them so I'll close...I'm headed right over to the photo workshop next Jeanne. Thanks for tossing me another life preserver! Have a great weekend. XO
ReplyDeleteI am up early enough to be a morning person, but I can't say that I do anything very constructive. Rather I use the first couple of hours of my day just to be quiet, to be still and I'm okay with that until I realize that I have accomplished absolutely nothing.
ReplyDelete