When I think about some of the best times in my day, I think about the morning. Don't get me wrong - I am not one of those wake-up-happy-and-ready-to-go type of people. That is Nathan through and through, but it never has been my mood. I often wonder if I am so angry at being awake that it fuels my productivity, because mornings are the most productive times for me.
A few years ago when I was still working a full-time job I realized that I was always rushing in the morning. No matter how much or little I tried to do, I would inevitably be tripping over my shoes and spilling coffee on my way out the door, only to screech into work only a couple minutes early or right on time. I think the only thing that I hate more than being awake in the mornings is having to rush, so I began to change my morning routine.
Contrary to what I wanted and used to do, I started to wake up incredibly early. This may be sleeping in to some, but when I tell people I set my alarm each morning for 5:25am they often look at me like I'm crazy. But when I used to get to work around 8:30am, waking up so early created almost 3 full hours of morning before I had to face the world. Yes, this meant an earlier bedtime. Yes, this meant I was tired for several months as I transitioned. But as I sat quietly each morning with the time to simply breathe, I knew it was all worth it.
Fast forward to today and I have a fairly consistent morning routine. I wake up and head to the gym, then come home to go on a run (because running on the treadmill is one of the worst things I can do). Then I shower and make a good breakfast - probably my favorite meal of the day! During breakfast I get the coffee pot going, then I sit down with the news (via The Economist) and my first cup. With my second cup of coffee comes time spent with the Bible, and by the time 8am rolls around I am more than ready to start working. Sometimes I may begin work a few minutes earlier to schedule a social media post or do something else, but for the most part the mornings are my time.
It's during the times of sipping my (always decaf) coffee and reading that my day is made. And though this may sound silly, one important thing I do each morning is choose a mug. I have a huge mug collection - so large, in fact, that we long ago got rid of our matching wedding gift set to make room for all those mugs that hold a place in my heart. So starting next week I want to begin sharing the story behind each mug and what it means to me as I get my day started. I can think of little else that will make my morning better :)
Can't wait to share, friends! Happy Monday!
