We are (or should be) in control of our mornings, our days, our lives. Even when we feel out of control, overworked, inundated with chaos we are in control of our actions and reactions. We choose what we consume – food, media, audio, reading, conversations, drink – we can opt to absorb or opt out.
I’ve already created and maintained a morning intake rhythm for good physical health. I drink 16+ ounces of water before anything else. I relish a beautifully crafted oat milk latte with sumptuous organic and fairly traded espresso. I enjoy a slice of rich date cake, adorned with chopped almonds and pecans and filled with pure natural goodness. No sugar. Lots of fiber. I mindfully savor every chew and crunch, letting the rich flavors wash over me. A few hours later it’s time for chia pudding or organic Greek yogurt. Hemp hearts, flax meal, salty pumpkin seeds compliment the sweet goodness and add crunch with protein, minerals and nutrients. My first three hours awake are full of nutrition and more.
These items are truly crucial to my well-being. I pack them when I travel. I bake the cakes every six days. The first part of my morning ritual is usually completed in bed. Propped up on pillows. Blinds open so to let in sunlight. My big dog still snuggled deep into his fleece blankets. My cat occasionally coming to purr on my chest. It’s peaceful and harmonious. Exactly how I want to embrace my mornings.
But…
Over the past year, I’ve developed a habit of picking up my phone and to peruse social media and the news. Alongside my blessed calming nourishment ritual, I’ve now recognized the lack of balance this delivers. My heart rate rises. To I taste anger and spite with my delicious latte and cake feels wrong. More wrong than what I’m “witnessing” on my phone. So, since I cannot change current any more than I can change the weather, I’m going to change myself and curb these habits. Committing today to read and write before I consume what’s out in the world and perhaps postpone engaging with the world until I’ve completed filling myself up with goodness – physically, emotionally and mentally – so that then perhaps there is less space for anything negative to creep in and occupy.
A mindset that I recently stumbled across is this: “If you want to worry less, create more than you consume.” I’m letting that sit with me a bit and over the last few weeks, I’ve explored exactly what I’m creating, hoping that the balance is tilting pro-creation and not pro-consumption. Honestly, I think it’s in harmony, which is good, but I want to tip the scales slightly towards more creation and explore if that delivers me to a “better place”. I’m going to be pondering this in the coming weeks and months with intention and awareness. Maybe you’ll join me?
PS Photo is a gluten-free, almond biscotti that I made and a strawberry that I grew in the greenhouse in the midst of this cold winter. Creation at its finest, in my opinion! I shared some of the biscotti, so I created more than I consumed!
Kibby Jardine 