The joy of the gentle, non-productive morning routine is a quiet and simple joy. It’s the feel of cold air on your cheeks when you’re barely awake as you take the dog on a short round of the block. It’s the first smell of coffee as you measure the beans into the grinder and then watching the coffee bloom when you first pour water over the grounds. It’s standing for a moment with that first cup of coffee in hand and noticing the pink, orange, lavender, and blue shades in the sky as the sun comes up. It’s settling into your favorite chair with your coziest blanket over your lap and having the dog come snuggle close. It’s pulling out your morning devotional book (whatever that might be) but holding it unopened for several minutes as you sit in the silence of the early morning. It’s reading a page or two and copying down a sentence that struck you deeply and then sitting and thinking that sentence over and exploring all the paths your mind takes while contemplating it.
The joy of the gentle, non-productive morning is heading into the kitchen and rooting around in the fridge to see what ingredients you have to make the perfect spontaneous omelet and discovering a few slices of bread left that will allow you to surprise your girl with french toast instead. It’s the little lilt and rise in tone at the end of the sentence when she calls down from upstairs “What smells so good?” It’s sitting at the breakfast table and watching the frost melt away as the sun begins to warm the earth or the soft flight of snowflakes gently falling or the birds hopping around on a spring morning with an energy that feels somehow hopeful.
The joy of the gentle, non-productive morning is turning “getting ready” into a mini self-care spa session. It’s a long hot shower that can serve as a quiet extension of the peaceful contemplation from earlier or as a stage for belting out your favorite shower songs. It’s extra time wandering around in your robe or towel picking out an outfit that makes you feel confident or cozy, as the day may require. It’s pausing over which cologne to wear and taking time to apply lotion to all of your winter dry skin. It’s choosing your favorite warm socks and sitting on the edge of the bed a moment holding them and thinking about your mom buying them for you and letting your mind wander over several other happy memories of your mom before pulling them on.
It’s not rushed. It’s not busy. It’s not productive.
It’s quiet. It’s calm. It’s peaceful.
It’s heading to work or on to the rest of your day with your heart and your mind and your soul and your body all feeling calm and nourished and recharged and energized.
That’s the joy of a gentle morning.
