It’s 7:02am as I write this. I’m sitting outside on the patio. Enjoying some calmness in the mornings. The cushion on my chair is slightly damp, evidence of the storm we had last night and confirmation that we have a small leak on our patio covering. Not that it’s anything to be worried about or a priority for now.
In front of me, our bougainvillea plant has grown a lot, spurred on by the recent rain. I need to trim that down, I think to myself. I’ve had that thought a few times. It needs to go into the reminders to make it happen. It’s more than a thirty second job and I don’t want to interrupt what I’m currently doing, so I put it into my reminders to take care of it later today.
I get notifications on my Mac when I receive text messages and it includes the preview. A good friend of mine texted something about WoW, so I got distracted. 15 minutes later I return to my page after reading his text, looking at a few builds for a Rogue Outlaw, and then realising that I sat outside here this morning to write. Doh!
I am generally good with distractions. Clearly, as is written above, it happens and is a work in progress. But WoW is pretty awesome at the moment and it’s a great way to think whilst levelling, and to immerse oneself into a fantasy setting.
Distracted again.
I like being outside after it’s rained. Seeing the extra dew is a setting I enjoy looking at. The fences have their rain stained colouring happening, the birds are chirping more. Things look more lush. It feels great.
I take another sip of my morning coffee. I’m no longer intermittently fasting on days I go to the gym, so I’m enjoying a milk based blend. I try to take small sips so I can savour the flavour and the experience. The taste of coffee is amazing. I try to be conscious of the effects caffeine has on the body. Thankfully, and luckily for me, I really enjoy the Nespresso decaf flavours, so I rotate between caffeinated and decf. The ritual of having that morning coffee (milk, black, caffeine, decaf) is something that I really enjoy.
Taking the sip automatically produces a lot of other actions as a by product, a bunch of what are now ingrained and are unconscious habits. I pause, and I begin to look around me. I can notice and pay attention to the sights and sounds. It grounds me and brings a lot of calmness into my mornings. It’s a great way to slow myself down and enjoy the moment I’m in before I head off to work and the inevitable busyness of an operational job.
That’s all of the writing I get done that morning.
Today, I’m outside, and it’s 6:59am when I open up my laptop. It’s a public holiday and we just returned for an extended ruck (a walk where I wear a backpack full of weights). As there was no gym session this morning, I’ve poured myself a nice long black coffee. The flavour I’ve chosen is coconut, and I can smell small hints of the flavour as my fingers move across the keyboard. When I do take a sip, I get the full coconut taste. There aren’t as many birds chirping this morning. It’s more peaceful.
Calm.
My mind can be very active at times. I am a prolific daydreamer. Without much effort I can be in a fantasy setting completing quests, or piloting a Gundam in the SEED universe. My morning ritual is a great way to bring myself out of my mind into the present and ground myself. Not that daydreaming is bad. Quite the opposite. I do enjoy my mornings though.
I enjoy sitting out here and writing. Sometimes it’s collecting my thoughts. Other times it’s reviewing articles and taking notes. Other times it’s just a space for me to meander my way though things – such as this article on calmness in the mornings. There’s no outcome in mind other than just to put words to paper to describe my mornings. It takes a lot of writing somethings before you stumble upon an idea.
In this case, calmness in the mornings is important. Continue to take the time to ground yourself, to notice the amazing things around you, and enjoy your rituals.
I’m grateful that I have a life where I can do this.