It is 6:35am. I am sitting in the dark on my couch in the Airstream, wearing my robe and fluffy bunny socks with my favorite blanket draped across my lap. My eyes are still adjusting to the light from the computer screen. The sun has yet to rise. The coffee is not made, and Carl is still sleeping. What in the world am I doing?
Well, this is my first attempt—on this first morning of the rest of my life—to change my routine. I have been thinking about it for several weeks. The main reason is to find some time to write. It is hard for me to write during the day when Carl is awake. When he wakes up and his feet hit the ground, he is already talking. He is determined to engage with the world immediately. He opens the window blinds, walks outside for a minute, checks to see what I’m doing, tells me what he’s thinking, and so the day begins. Meanwhile, I’m still in the grunting stage, not able to voice complete sentences, and just want to drink my coffee in peace.
Since I don’t have a separate office to call my own, it is hard to find time to write in our shared space. I like to write when I’m alone and free to carry on with my thoughts and feelings without interruption. I’ve tried training Carl to be quiet and ignore me if he sees my laptop open, but some old dogs cannot learn new tricks. I’ve resorted to encouraging him to play golf or pickleball as often as he wants because I utilize that time to work on writing projects. But not every place we go has pickleball courts or affordable golf courses. I’m realizing that to be able to write on a regular basis requires me to change my morning routine.
I’m an early riser by nature. My dad didn’t believe in wasting daylight, so sleeping in didn’t happen often while I was growing up. Back in the day, when we were living in our stick-built home and working, I would get up early, let Tucker (our dog) outside, start my coffee, let Tucker back in, feed him, turn on the local morning news, and drink my coffee. At 7:50am, when Good Morning America went to commercial break, I would go back upstairs, get ready for work, and be in my home office between 8:15 and 8:30am starting my work day.
When we started living in the Airstream as full-time RV travelers, my routine changed slightly. Tucker is no longer around to take care of, and I don’t need to get ready for work (yippee!). I usually sit in the dark for a little while, playing games on my phone—Wordle and Killer Sudoku, if you must know. Then I turn on a morning show depending on what over-the-air channels we get with our antenna. If ABC is coming through, Good Morning America is my first choice because I have watched it for many years. Sometimes, though, I’m limited to NBC or CBS because of our location. I have grown to like CBS Mornings, with the Today show as my third choice. Once I’m more awake and less grumbly, I’ll make coffee and play Words with Friends with my mom on my tablet. Eventually, Carl gets up, and I finally start the process of getting dressed for the day, making the bed, organizing the Airstream, and so on.
If I change this routine, I will have at least an hour (if not more) to write before Carl wakes up. We are creatures of habit, though, aren’t we? And breaking an old routine to start a new one is a Herculean challenge. At least for me. Sometimes I wish I’d get up, get dressed, and walk outside to watch the sun rise. I’ll see others walking their dogs. Some are diligent enough to be getting in their morning run. Maybe a morning meditation or reading and contemplating a devotional? I thought about sitting in the dark for a little while enjoying the peace and quiet. I might give it a try one of these mornings. My sister-in-law wakes up to her coffee already made! I like that idea because making coffee seems like a chore in the morning, even though I crave that first cup. I’m sure others jump in the shower or hit their snooze a few times. Or maybe they wake up hungry and ready for a big breakfast. What do you regularly do?
Last night I was working on the latest page of a gratitude book my daughter, Rachel, and her partner, Em, gave me. I like this particular book, A Life of Gratitude by Lori Roberts, because it is a departure from the typical “what are five things you are grateful for today” journal. It will ask you to think about your favorite red things, or five people to whom you’d like to write a thank you note, or why you love your pet, or how would you change your morning routine so that it is “rooted in gratitude and mindfulness” (the challenge given last night). So, I went to sleep thinking that maybe on this first morning of the rest of my life I could attempt a new routine. Of course, it doesn’t become an actual routine until I do it every day for several weeks, but I can always start anew the next day if my attempt fails on the current day.
After all, every morning is the first morning of the rest of my life. That’s true for you, dear reader, as well.
It is now 7:27am. Almost an hour of writing. Pretty good. I am going to treat myself to a cup of coffee, open the window blinds to look at the color in the sky and then play some Killer Sudoku. Baby steps still move you forward.
Good morning!
It seems you are making small steps. That’s a good thing. I too struggle with quiet time to write. I haven’t gone to the early risers solution. Too many 4:30 AM wake ups when I was working. I had to schedule a 2 hour workout before a day in the field. So now I look for 30 minute segments to dedicate to writing. Mostly around 3;00 PM seems to work best. I don’t do anything until coffee. I stopped the TV news habit a long time ago, I find my day so much more pleasant without the media influence or agenda. I get 1 email news summary a day ..that’s all I need. Good luck with starting a new habit. I hear it only takes 30 days.
I’m on Day 2 of this new routine – only 28 more to go! And, of course, I’m starting this the week of holiday festivities. Our daughter is flying down to spend a few days with us in our Airstream, so my couch will be unavailable early in the morning. I’m determined to make this work – I mean, come on, I’ve done it two days in a row now! So, I’m trying to come up with a plan of action to write for the rest of this week. I’m glad you have found a time that works for you. Kicking the TV news habit will be very good for me as well. I know a few like you who have stopped watching the news, and I can see in their demeanors how much more calm and content they are. The days I have been “news free” are always really good days.
Good for you! Changing things up can show you stuff you’ve not paid attention to before. And as you said, if you’re not successful today in changing that routine, there’s always tomorrow. Take care and enjoy your holiday! ❤️
Thank you! On day 2 now… And it is a CONSCIOUS effort. My first thought when I woke up was “Killer Sudoku” (can’t help it; I’m addicted to it!), then I realized I was forging this new routine and needed to get up and work on a writing project. So I started thinking about what that would be. I could work on a something that I almost have finished but requires some research. I could finish up an article on meditation I started a couple of years ago… Then I thought about the dishes that need to be washing and how much I miss having a dishwasher, so I was going to write a story about that! I finally settled on working on an author bio. I wrote one last week and didn’t like the direction I was going. Of course, all of these thoughts were before my feet hit the ground. I did write an author bio (for a future Patreon.com or Medium.com page) and am sending it to a friend for her feedback. Now I’m replying to these wonderful comments!
Congrats on getting up so early! After I read the book the miracle morning, it really helped start my day. I highly recommend it. By Hal Elrod.
And I was married to a verbal processor! Every thought had to be expressed out loud. I know how challenging that can be!
Thanks for your post and you can delete the first one that I just left.
Thank you, Liz! I have always been an early riser, just not terribly productive. Breaking unproductive morning habits is hard work! I will check out Elrod’s book. Thank you for the recommendation. Hope all is well!
I enjoyed your thinking process as you move toward a new routine. I like the idea of being up when most others are asleep – the quiet, the contemplation, the stillness. However, you will note that i said i like the IDEA of it – not so much the actual doing of it. When I was a working woman I had to get up early every day. On retirement I continued to awaken at my usual hour. But a morning came that I thought to myself “I don’t HAVE to get up now – I can lie here as long as I want!” And I did and do. Usually my staying in bed “late” is 8 or 9 AM. However, I confess, that I can hear echoes of the word “SLUGGABED” drifting into my ears. My parents did not believe in idleness – even in their retirement!. I also confess that I do feel the day is half gone by 8 or 9. And so, dear Karen, you have inspired me to CONSIDER a new routine as well. I’ll let you know if I manage it. In the meantime – good luck with yours! 🙂
Thank you! I need all of the good luck I can get. I’m on Day 2 of this new routine, and it is a concerted CONSCIOUS effort. I’m an early riser by nature, so that isn’t the hard part. It is choosing to utilize the time better while I have it to myself instead of giving in to being grumbly and slowly, slowly waking up to the day. I did about an hour of writing this morning and am responding to these wonderful comments! Now I’m going to treat myself to some coffee!!! Keep me posted on your considerations!