Taking Time for Me

"Those who have found tranquility are calm and pleasant to be with." ~ Zen saying, excerpted from, A Thousands Paths to Tranquility

Since our day is largely dependent on how we begin our mornings, I try to give myself some extra time to calmly organize and plan for my day. I try to be out of bed thirty to ninety minutes before anyone else is up. This give me time to center, sort, and get in the right mindset to face the day. I do some positive reading, I write my morning pages, affirmations & daily intention, go for a walk or other exercise and get my shower.

I'm trying to ease myself into getting up even earlier so that by the time school rolls around again, I'll be in the habit of getting up nice and early to have my quiet time. I know that it will be much easier to wake up my kids with a smile and a compliment if I've have had a cup of coffee and a chance to center myself. Morning should be a pleasant time, not a mad dash and scramble to get everyone directed down their path for the day. I know that everyone (including me) will feel so much better, by getting a confident and calming send-off first thing in the morning. There is no worse feeling than having sent the kids off to face their day with a grumpy mom in the morning; this is my way of trying to avoid that.

I decided to write about it this morning because I really need the reminder. Starting work full time, working on some other projects that I'm very passionate about, plus caring for my family and our home; it's important for me to remind myself that I want to take care of me so that I am better able to do all the things I want to do.

Do you spend some time in the morning just taking care of you and getting centered for the day? If, not I encourage you to try it. Start out with just 15 minutes and gradually increase the time if you want to. I bet you'll be amazed at how much smoother your morning and your families morning will be.

☮peace.♥love.☺joy

{Photo Credit: Maureclaire on Flickr}