Meet the Day
Simple Ways to Ease our Mornings
Image by Dave Ruck from Unsplash
Much has been written about the benefits of intentional mornings and practices that include electronics-free, unhurried time with ourselves. The foundation of such practices is cultivating tranquility. In our complex world, tranquility may seem distant. Developing tranquility is possible however, and for many the first few minutes of the morning is a great and manageable place to start. We can set a tone every morning simply by meeting and greeting the day. Rising from a disposition of welcome and peace benefits our emotional health, our physical health, our professional life and home life in numerous ways.
The concept of peace exists across languages and cultures of the world past and present, but peace can be a challenging word to define. Peace within an individual refers to a state of assurance and calm. When we are at peace, we feel an equilibrium with ourselves, the world, and our place in it. We see opportunities rather than obstacles, and our outlook brightens. Evidence suggests that operating from a disposition of peace serves us positively at work, at home, and across our network of relationships, both personal and professional. Operating from a disposition of peace aids us in being measured and clear with others when it is time to do so.
For many, beginning the day from a place of peace is transformational. Peace is an inside job however, an inner state, and many find it elusive. There are steps that can help us cultivate peace and calm. Actions we can take include:
Default to gratitude and opportunity-thinking in all that you do.
Talk to yourself as a friend, not an annoyance or inconvenience. Part ways with self-consciousness about your less-mainstream ways. The noble aspects of you are far more important than your education, your network, or your bank balance. Be grateful for what’s good and working. Stand up. Stand tall, and cultivate character.
Don’t say yes when you shouldn’t, can’t, or truly don’t care to. Determine what works for you, and politely, postiviely decline invites and requests when it’s time to do so.
Take pride in your surroundings. Wherever you find yourself, cultivate pride of place. Remove clutter. Rearrange. Make space. Enjoy what you have and find the good that is happening in the place where you are.
Get outside. Make time to walk, notice, breath, sit, and look around without electronics.
Finally, find or write a verse, a sentence, or fragment of poetry that you find centering and lovely. Refer to it often.
Image by Bady Abbas from Unsplash
A centering and lovely excerpt by poet Pádraig ó Tuama:
Let us listen to the sounds
of our names and our voices.
Let us name the light and
soft darkness that surround us.
Let’s claw ourselves from the graves we’ve dug. Let’s lick the earth from our fingers. Let us look up and out and around.
The world is big and wide and wild and wonderful and wicked,
and our lives are murky, magnificent, malleable, and full of meaning. Oremus.
We have opportunity each day to set tone and welcome the morning.
What to do? Start now. Take steps to greet your day with gratitude. You’ll love the assurance, health, home, and career benefits this practice will bring. Good luck friends - let’s go.