I was trained to wake up early most days. Up before dawn, usually to head to a morning swim practice before school or before the start of a summer day.
Waking early is now part of the normal rhythm of my life.
There is something about the early morning that feels spacious, open and unencumbered.
Minimal expectations (it's so early!), the darkness is quiet and gently expectant; it feels like stolen time.
And I know not everyone is a morning person. I don't know by experience, but I'd imagine late nights can have the same magical feel as early mornings. So, you do you.
But for me, rising before dawn feeds my soul.
I love how Mary Oliver explains it in her poem, Why I wake early ...
Hello, sun in my face.
Hello, you who make the morning
and spread it over the fields
and into the faces of the tulips
and the nodding morning glories,
and into the windows of, even, the miserable and the crotchety --
best preacher that ever was,
dear star, that just happens
to be where you are in the universe
to keep us from ever-darkness,
to ease us with warm touching,
to hold us in the great hands of light --
good morning, good morning, good morning.
Watch, now, how I start the day
in happiness, in kindness.
Yes! Early morning is my church and sanctuary!
I love that image. There is something deeply spiritual about mornings, right?
I am also an early riser! I feel completely alone (with a dog snoring at my side) with God, and it’s as if I have God’s complete and undivided attention. Only me! There is no movement outside or anyone else in sight. Alone! With Love! Of course this is just an illusion, because God is always within and around me, but it feels so much more evident and God feels so much closer at that time. It doesn’t seem to matter if I have anything to offer at this time or not. It’s “all God”! ❤️
Jewel, I can just picture you ... Makes me smile!
YES!!!! Morning the best... I woke up at 6am today which is sleeping in and I've felt behind ALL day! Love the waking early morning routine!