One of my favorite things is waking up in the morning. I like fresh starts and the possibility inherent in the pre-dawn light and crisp air. Mornings feel hopeful to me. I am refreshed from a night of sleep and bright eyed, expectant. And though I know the world collectively cringes and groans on Monday mornings in particular, I like them. It's the start of a new cycle, a new week. Anything can happen. The tides and currents can change drammatically. It's a chance for better things and better choices. It's back to work after the Sunday relaxtion. It's balance.
And watching the light emerge from night's darkness is a spectacular event eveyday: the sunrise. Over the Eastern horizon, almost like a slow visual drumroll, a glow begins, followed by a streak of pink, a wash of clouds and colors, a sense of rising hope, and rising energy, the sun! Even if I don't actually see it rise, the morning carries with it the freshness of the new light.
And I love breakfast. I love breakfast smells and breakfast colors and breakfast tastes: coffee, tea, bacon, eggs, pancakes, cereal, fruit, cranberry juice, orange juice, butter. It's my favorite meal. I wake up hungry and enjoy each bite. I have mediatation books, and I read them as I eat; spiritual thoughts to center me and ground me, soul food and tummy food altogether.
If I were to skip breakfast; if I were to wake up tired and groggy, possibly hungover; if I were to rush to get ready and fill myself with groans about having to work instead of wholesome food and meditative thoughts, then the morning would be a misery and a dread. I've had those kind of mornings, but not for many years. I have learned that I like it better taking my time and I like it better feeling fresh and hopeful like the dawn. It helps if I get enough sleep.
I have a choice to make every night and every morning. How will I choose? How will I take care of myself? Will I give myself the opportunity for a fresh start? No matter how exhausted, or emotionally burned out, or overfull of food, or simply tired I may be at the end of a day, I always have a chance for redemption and restoration. It is as close as my pillow and the guarantee of the sunrise. I get a fresh start every day.
