Good Morning,
There is something beautiful about the stillness of the morning in a quiet house. This week I intentionally started my days by sitting quietly and reading a bit prose and poetry from several different books. I have been taking time to read quietly in the mornings for quite a while. Poetry is the new addition.
Just for a few minutes to start my day I will sit in my chair and quietly look out the window at the trees and then read. I want to take in the space before the day begins like it is nourishment because I think it is.
In those quiet moments we gather our thoughts and prepare ourselves to receive what the day has to offer. I like my morning time. I never rush to emails or social media. That's for later in the day when I have had a chance to be. There is no rush towards the world for me when I wake. Instead I walk towards the day.
I know this is not easy for everyone. I do think though, when you can manage it, it is a deeply beautiful way to begin your day.
It has not always been like this for me of course. I raised a family and lived by the authority of the school bus going up the road. I packed lunches hastily, and hand delivered missing gym clothes to the school. It was a rush, and I was not in control of my time. Most of my free time was spent in rinks and soccer fields. And it too was important. It was my life for many years. To say I always relished it and appreciated it would not be true. I was tired and harried by times. There were days I did not know which way was up and if you had have told me to take some time to myself in the morning I would not have taken you very seriously. In fact, I might have rolled my eyes.
I do remember though, a friend with four children who took time to herself to read most mornings. How she managed, I do not know, but she did it. I always admired her for this. I still admire her because her life has gotten even more busy since her children have grown and she continues even though she has a difficult job that is extremely demanding. She is one of my inspirations for this practice.
Now things are different for me. I am older and I have the opportunity to protect my morning time. To use it to rest, to prepare, to take note, and to savour. And I am able to understand the value of that time fully because once things were different. Once I was in a rush.
Now I live by my routines. Mostly I am happy do the same things day in, day out. I take comfort in the rhythms of my life. What I once thought was boring has become contentment and ease. This routine works for me. It means I show up day after day in my studio. It is a promise to work, to make, to create. It is the promise to love what I do, to do what I love.
I am not busy. I seem busy because I have lots on the go. I am just making. Busy is different altogether.
At my house I live up in the eaves in my little white studio with it'd wobbly wooden floors. I have a comfortable chair, a desk and my hooking frame. No matter how big this house was I would still be here in this perch because my wool and my hook are here.
Life is made up of different stages. You know this. I know this. If you ever get the chance to have a stage where you can savour your mornings, I recommend it. There is stillness all around us if we seek it out and if we take the time to find it. It is in the birdsong on your morning walk. It is in the book beside your chair. It is in a cup of tea.
Thank you for reading. So many of you joined Design School. Thank you for that...
Deanne
