During this first week of March, I’m thinking about morning rituals. I’m at my very best in the morning. I can sustain my attention, my mood is good unless the vestiges of a bad dream hang around my shoulders, a slight weight of something being not right draped around my shoulders like a shawl. I find since being sick and living this year in the throes of a pandemic that everything I do now is much more intentional and considered. So I’ve been examining what I do in the mornings and researching whether my rituals are those that support vitality or are those that may need to be tweaked.
Take for example my waking time. For a long stretch I was getting up at 7, going to sleep somewhere around 10 PM or 11, and that seemed to suit me fine. Prompted by a spurt of anxiety that I was not being productive enough, I started getting up at 6:00 in the hopes of “doing more”. Whether it was a rebellion against the demand to be more productive or not having enough sleep, my body gave me the signal that I should go back to getting up at 7:00. I ended up procrastinating for the extra hour anyway, so I’ll take the benefit of getting enough sleep. My body is a reliable partner giving me feedback as I experiment with my morning routine,
The first thing I do when I wake up, after a trip to the bathroom, is head downstairs (I have a downstairs now and love that I have to go up and down them), drink a large glass of water, take my vitamins, probiotic and supplements and brew a cup of green tea. I open all the blinds in the plentiful windows throughout my house to let in the light so I can follow its pathway throughout the day. Ascending the stairs once again, tea in hand, I head to the place that I write and work.
Unconsciously I’ve furnished this room, sitting in the tower in my new house, as a 17th C ladies dressing room. Dressing rooms provided elite women with access to privacy and promised them an autonomy they had yet to experience. The dressing room became a place where women could contemplate, write, entertain, re-imagine and re-fashion themselves without restriction or surveillance. Furnished with the prettiest of tables, the easiest of chairs, inlaid glass-fronted cabinets made pleasant with the bindings of many books and a small desk to write on, clothing was actually a secondary adornment. A dressing room has a more feminine sensibility than the word office: a room that is a place for commercial, professional, or bureaucratic work. How boring and why would you want to go in? I prefer the more fanciful idea that this should be a space, where, like in the past, women are free to daydream and express their intellect and creativity. And so part of my morning ritual is to start my day in this room.
On my desk is a plain craft paper covered journal where I write inspirational things I come across, work out new ideas and hold myself accountable for new practices like having my morning routine and all the other healthy habits I now diligently incorporate into my life. I start essays here, give myself a writing prompt if I feel stuck, and have forced myself to draw despite having no good aptitude for it because it’s good for my brain. I work for a time on my book proposal and then am ready for breakfast. But that’s another post.
What are the very first things you do to start your day?
I get up at 5:30am- (always have)
and go for a run, bike-ride or brisk walk.
Come back, shower and have breakfast- fruit, yoghurt and oatmeal.
I then do whatever- work 2 days teaching, run a bed and breakfast or go out for a coffee with my husband.
I’m 70 and take no medication.or supplements- just a healthy diet and mostly vegetarian.
a wonderful life indeed
Lynn, You are the Ultimate Inspiration! It all makes me want to move out of Queens, and into the areas of Upstate New York! It’s encouraging to know that moves & change can inspire and improve your life no matter what your age! I am sure you are looking and moving forward to a new and healthier chapter of life. BTW, I Love the photos of your home!
Although I do not own any ‘Dior’, I am very conscious of what I wear as a testimony to taste and self-esteem. I have always loved to look as fashionable as I can. It really doesn’t take that much effort if you really believe in yourself!
I am trying to rid myself of teas other than green teas., and I have so many journals, especially those of caregiving, I was told I should get them published. They pulled me through the pain of seeing my late Mom pass on.
As I wrote previously, it is so Good to have you back again, I love and look forward to reading your blog!!
Lovely heartfelt words of wisdom ❤️
Thank you so much! I am a long time fan – 73 on May 8th – and get so much inspiration from your posts. I save anything I find in a file on my computer called Warm Fuzzies. I read them over and over while sitting at my husband’s bedside in the hospital. I nearly lost him and your posts brought peace to my soul. So glad you are feeling better!
I love this ritual and sending good wishes for your husband’s recovery.
Lynn,
I have my morning routine of rising early and brewing tea.
I have a room upstairs and the windows face the woods. I have my pretty collectible treasures to give me comfort. I write in my journal. I still work three days a week. I like dressing nicely for the day.
It is a joy to read your blogs.
I have my little apartment in the UWS. I have the best of both worlds.
It sounds like you indeed have the best of both worlds.
Thank you!
Good afternoon,
my morning rituals, living deep in the woods in the Hudson valley, are not that different from yours, except that I first greet my dogs and therefore stabilize my Serotonin level. I then the drink a glass of warm water with a spritz of lemon and heat the house.
After I let my puppy out to pee, I do the same and do my first morning routine with my leg on the counter to get more energy flowing. Photos and videos with my daughter and grandchildren, who live on a Greek island without cars and in a remote place in the Swiss alps, will follow. Thus my serotonin is mostly high at this time, despite the frigid weather and mostly grey skies.
After a session of yoga and Pilates, the day will continue with trivialities.
Wishing you a good week.
yours,
Hanna
Thanks for sharing yours, it’s lovely
I love that you write in cursive in a journal and not typing on an iPad or computer. I am sad that penmanship has gone by the wayside with the younger generation. Love the lacy curtains in your morning room aka dressing room. Now I want one. Maybe I will boot my husband out of his TV/mancave or revamp a vintage trailer in my front yard. A friend who designs jewelry has an old converted school bus as her studio and it is stunning. My day starts with black coffee, dark roast. Sometimes I put in a bit of Baileys Irish Cream to be daring. Thank you for taking us along on your journey. You are such an inspiration!
Because of my Catholic education, Grades K- my bachelor’s I will forever adore good penmanship.
I wake up around 6am naturally before my family. I love this quiet time. I put on a tv channel with no commercials: just soft music and inspirational quotes on the screen. Delightful. I then put the kettle on for my French press coffee, toast a slice of grainy bread topped with peanut butter and sliced berries. I then unload the dishwasher and read whatever book I’m enjoying. By 9:30, I’m happy to do a fitness class on Zoom these days. Morning rituals are very grounding and I look forward to them every day!
These are insightful and enjoyable! Thank you. I too believe how you dress is important. In High School, so many years ago, I would dress up in a dress and heels to take my exams. I felt smarter and always did well.
I’ve lost that in the past year of lockdown and loungewear. Thank you for the reminder.
And by the way, where do I get the fabulous grey pants you are wearing in the picture of you in front of your car this month?
I love them!
The pants are MONSE
Amazing Post and great content. Thanks for sharing this article.
Thanks Again!!
My Blog:
https://www.motivationdrive.com
Lynn, your recent blog posts have been particularly inspiring. For the past several weeks, I have been working on my own morning ritual before beginning my remote work day. Up at 6:15, out the door at 6:30 for an early morning walk with our dog, regardless of weather here on the coast of Maine. I’m still tweaking the activities before work – breakfast, dressing, journaling. Since my desk at one end of our family room serves as both “dressing room” and “home office”, I arrange the surface to create an environment for personal writing. I light a scented candle, use a lined Rhodia notebook and a fountain pen, record musings, and set my intentions for the day. It’s a dedicated space for introspection until 8:00am when I open the laptop, turn on the phone, and make the shift to the work day.
Lovely transtion time
Lynn, you are an inspiration! Your piece makes me want to move out of my London (England) flat. I have another (albeit small) upstairs and downstairs place in the Bosnian mountains! One day – who knows.
Good to see you looking very stylish!
Look forward to reading your blog!
Thank you!
You don’t mention coffee. Not your cup of tea?! I’m transitioning to tea as I see it likes me better than coffee. Turning 60 has been like a leaking faucet. The stream started silently. At 61 almost 62, it’s making more noise. I have slipped through some cracks after the death of my mother 5 years ago and recently realized I needed to climb out. Thank you for your inspiration you give. It has propelled me to not wait any longer
After having a colon infection, where I could not drink much of anything except water I decided to not go back to coffee. Tea feels softer if that makes sense.
I wonder if we need to over express ourselves in extreme poses as here. I would prefer not to make our aging into a comedy. Love the hash ions. Thx
I copied your phrase “My body is a reliable partner giving me feedback as I experiment with …” and know I can journal on that in many situations — experimenting with food, with scheduling, with people I may or may not want to know better, with gardening. This list goes on and on.
Thank you.
Hello, I like your routine, which is not much different than mine. I do make my bed and get dressed while the coffee is brewing. I drink a cup or two and have green tea and fresh ginger a bit later in the day. Being 72, I am reinventing myself and my career around my sleeping pattern, and resting pattern. I am enjoying creating a writing space in my new home, which is larger than the previous one! I need my spaces. Decorating and furnishing around my new interests and wants and needs is fortifying. Though I have had a wonderful career in writing, documentation, and publications the drive to adapt to today’s work in technology is a force that I cannot deny. I am now a blogger with my own website: alexisskriloffjameswriter.com/blog. Visit!
Thanks for sharing, I will check your blog out. Always looking to enjoy women writers.
Wonderful. I love your blog. Keep on being an inspiration
For 10+ years now, I have started my day by going into the kitchen, making a pot of coffee, lighting at least one or two candles (depending on the season) and sitting down at the kitchen table to right three “morning pages”, a la Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way.” My day starts early–before I retired in May 2019, I had to be to work no later than 8:00 a.m. So I rose by 5:00 to have time to write, then check personal email, go for a short run, and be ready to leave my house by 7:30 a.m. Now in retirement I am still up by 5:00, and sometimes earlier! I still start the day in the same way, but there is a luxurious slowness to the mornings–unless I am meeting friends early to run/hike/walk/bike, which happens more often than not!
A lovely life.
Lynn – You are such an inspiration to all of us baby boomers! I am happy that your health has improved. Your Dior outfit is to die for and is so YOU. I plan to define my own Longevity routine as I celebrate my 66th birthday on March 9th. Thanks for inspiring us all with your personal sense of beauty and style.
Happy Belated Birthday, late getting to my comments but promise to do better.
Greetings from North Carolina. Thank you for allowing me to respond to your blog. First, let me say how much I love your style and grace. You wear it well. Your take on life is food to my soul. Second, you are so right about one’s home environment being a place of solitude and creative thinking- I have work to do on this part because I abandoned/neglected my home to take care of my sick mom and a dear friend. Currently, the vestiges of this neglect is forever and robbing me of my energy. Third, I too enjoy my teatime and journaling. I have purchased several books on writing prompts, and I have found those very useful. Former First Lady Michelle Obama’ journal is very thought provoking. Finally, keep being the wind beneath my wings. Thank you ?? #ihaveworktodo
Thank you for sharing so honestly.
I am looking out on a frozen lake from my kitchen window, drinking a cup of hot water, starting my day by reading the Daily papers and mail. Then start making breakfast for us, My husband sleeps longer in the mornings than I do. Seven hours of sleep is enough for me.
Lovely
Good Morning! It is now 3:53 AM in the morning, my usual time of rising. I too, follow much the same routine as you do and have for many years now. I have been keeping a journal since I was eight years old, after being introduced to Anna Frank’s Diary, I have been a devout writer ever since. I wax and wane between chai tea made with spices from India, brewed on the stove for hours to later add Assam for the caffeine that is needed in small doses. I like how chai makes me feel energized, but it stands up to your favorite which is also my other go to.
I love what you say about the dressing room, and how it is privacy from surveillance, a place to dream to do business if needed. This is how my space is as well. I call my space “Edith’s Reading Room and Cafe,” since the pandemic took hold and we couldn’t visit our favorite haunts, it has been challenging to find that respite so I made it here at home. I have a desk, a chaise, my loving book shelves, art on the wall and my feline in waiting BonBon who follows me everywhere.
All of life’s turmoil goes down in the pages of the journal, a sacred space for reverence first thing in the morning. When I write and when I rise early, as do you, I feel better and have more energy for the day. I am wiped out by 7:30, 8:30 latest but the first bird song announcing the light on the horizon is worth it, as is the time to myself. Thank you for your reflections on how you address your mornings, and what you feel are mental health routines or rituals that can help us strengthen our bond with ourselves and in turn be more present for those we love. Looking forward to 2021. Thank you for your inspiring thoughts!
Thank you for sharing your routine, I loved the name of your room!
Love your morning room and the idea of it. I’m in bed between 8 & 9 & up around 4:30 a.m. most mornings. It is a privilege to be witness to dawn, to hear the geese on the river a few yards away. I begin by drinking 8 oz. of water, followed by making Michael and I celery juice with fresh lemon for a gentle, daily cleanse. I let that cycle while I read, grade papers until light begins to break. Then I walk E-Buzz & meditate while walking, giving thanks for our many blessings. Upon return it’s time for my sacrosanct cup of coffee. breakfast usually toasted multigrain with unsalted butter and honey. My mornings must be slow; rushing and clutter run riot against my spirit. Thank you for sharing your lovely photos and thoughts.
I so agree! Mornings must be slow.
Well, you’ve done it again. Yours is the only blog to engage me enough to respond with more than a ” I really enjoyed your newsletter/blog”. My usual morning routine is to drink a tall glass of water while I write, meditate, read, then I choose one of the following for about half an hour +/- . . . an early morning walk in the fresh air, yoga, or rebounding (a small trampoline), next I take my homeopathic remedies and probiotics and prepare breakfast. After breakfast I take my probiotics and vitamins then on to my creative day. On Saturdays, no particular schedule. I catch up with reading I have set aside. These are things I save until I can relax and take in every word. Today is Saturday, I’m enjoying catching up with you via your blog. Thank you for being here.
Thank you for sharing!
I believe rituals are very important and should be valued and practiced. In these uncertain times, even more important.
My morning (ritual? routine?) is similar to yours, except after dressing for the day and opening the shades and curtains to let in the daylight, I take a walk across our hayfields and into the woods with our dogs. It is not only an obligation to our pets for their well being, but gets me out into nature – no matter the season. Every season is different in the woods and every one is lovely.
After the walk – a morning yoga session and then breakfast and green tea. My favorite is Bigelow Jasmine.
I love this, my favorite is Bigelow Green Tea with Lemon
Thank you for sharing, Lynn. The pandemic has made me much more attentive and present as I go about my day. I’m not far behind you in working my way toward 70 and find that there are so many reasons to be grateful for the past years. Facing retirement is both a blessing and a source of concern about how I will spend my time. Reading your blog helps me know that life after retirement doesn’t mean life without purpose. It may mean the beginning of one of the most joyous times of my life, and if it comes with some creaky joints and less vigor, so be it. All the best as you continue to blossom along with your new home!
Wonderful approach…so be it.
Hi Lyn
I like reading about morning routines. I am retired and 63 years young. My morning routine is relaxed. (Make my bed, fresh ground black coffee, Perfect Bar, oatmeal, or banana, daily vitamins, read daily meditations, write five things in gratitude journal.) I like to write the blessings in the morning rather than at night. It sets the tone for the day and I seem to notice more blessings as the day unfolds. I also give my husband 14 hugs every morning. I read it takes 7 hugs per day to maintain, so we give a double dose! Hugs help during the pandemic! Thanks for sharing photos of your new old home. I look forward to your new book. What is it about?
I love the hugs!
I’m a long-time follower of your blog, Lynn. Retired from teaching 13 years ago, I am now an admin assistant at a wealth management firm. My current wardrobe is beyond boring due to my 8-4 work schedule. Looking forward to a time when I will have “more of me” (colorful, hippy-ish) in my closet. Being single with a very small teaching pension and reduced social security (WMP)I will be working well into my 70s, but that is fine. I have 3 amazing grandchildren that swear I am their crazy, favorite person. They have been told to watch out when I finally stop working and the fun really begins. Think: “yes days” (with parental permission). I wake up at 5:30 to the smell of already brewed Folgers coffee. Thank heaven for auto-brewing. I really need at least an hour to wakeup before showering and commuting to work. I do a midday green tea at work with a spinach salad and/or fruit. Gone are the days when lunch was a large sandwich. I have tried to listen to my body as I am 3 years from 70. No more of “The Firm: Abs, Hips, and Thighs” home workout. I so loved that – for over 30 years. It is replaced with a treadmill and monthly visits to the chiropractor which works for me. Navigating life now with intentional eating and listening to what my body needs. I am inspired by your journey and grateful you are well and writing to us again.
Thank you, my inspirations come from following yours and all my other readers
I try to be up by 7:30, drink my lemon water and go to the living room to read 2 daily reads and one or two of Caroline Myss’s prayers from her new prayer book. Then, I read something by Rumi, write in my journal, light a candle, smudge myself, drum, rattle or do the singing bowl, and do the directions. I then do my stretching so that I can move more easily through the day without pain (I am 76). I do so agree that dressing in a way that make me feel special is very helpful as to my mood, but I also have found that during the pandemic, I am more lax about it and even when working spend 15 min. getting ready for work. Since I am using Zoom to work, no one sees me from my chest down, so it feels like a waste of time and energy. I love your blogs as they are a breath of fresh air in this crazy time.
Thank you!
Felt a sense of peace and contentment just looking at the photo of your personal space where all your writings come to life!.
My usual start to the day is around 7am but the 5 March a little later, as we had been woken up at 2.15am by the bed really shaking – an earthquake! After a very unsettled night my routine started a little later. Out of bed do a set of tai Chi stretches followed by a routine I have done for 20 years. – a set of three stretches for each part of the spine – cervical thoracic and lumbar. Next feed the dog and make up a drink consisting tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar mixed with a teaspoon of honey in warm water, sit and drink while I look out at the garden. Breakfast is mixed organic oats with LSA and blueberries and any other fruit in season (at the moment peaches) covered with unsweetened almond milk. I read by random choice a few pages from Anam Cara-Spiritual Wisdom from the Celtic World by John O’Donohue while drinking a coffee. finishing with a cup of warm water. I love slow mornings with no “have to be there” slots.
A lovely routine, thanks for sharing it.
As an RN I get up extra early so I can mentally prepare for another busy day. It is not easy to lose that extra sleep however, once I am up it is so beneficial and I never regret it. I will drink a large glass of warm water, something my mother instilled in me when I was very young. (along with cod liver oil however, I just refuse to do that).
I then turn on the radio make my tea and get things together in an unhurried fashion. Just going slow and having time in between before heading out is so very helpful.
I have weekends off now and I still get up early and then I get to enjoy drinking my tea and looking at the birds on the feeders. I am an avid bird person and this is very relaxing.
Thank you for all your posts they are so insightful! I am doing lots of vaccination clinics with other staff and people are so kind and wonderful when sometimes it seems like a broken world, it really isnt!
I love that sentiment, we need to seek out and find unbroken places.
I look forward to your posts ….. they make me believe I can.
Thank you!