Day 12: Routine

I used to have a morning routine.

I would rise out of bed about 5:30AM.  My routine was so set I rarely had to set my alarm.  I rose with the sun.

I'd make coffee.  Read the news as I sipped.  After one cup I put on comfortable shoes and went for a walk .  4.1 miles.  The first three miles were a power walk and the last 1.1, a leisurely walk along the river with a stop to to sit, breathe and be still.  I'd generally be home by 7:30AM

I'd return home.  Shower.  Pour myself a second cup of coffee, then find a comfortable place to sit and write in my journal.  I'd write for 30 minutes or until it was time to log into work at 9:00AM.

I did this every day, though sometimes if the weather was bad I'd stay in and do yoga instead.

For the past three weeks this routine has been totally disrupted.  I returned from a weekend at a festival with my sleep pattern completely wonky and I've yet to reestablish it.

Lately I've been waking at 7:30 or 8:00.  I have just enough time to make coffee and sometimes to also shower.  Last week I actually had one day that I logged into work still in my pajamas - something I, until last week, had never done before.

That morning routine is so important to me.  It lets me start the day more calm and centered.
The walk made me feel better about my body and more connected to my neighborhood.  These past three weeks I've been tired, ill tempered and very, very spacey.

I think it is time to reclaim my morning routine.  I'm loath to do it with an alarm clock, but...it seems I must.  This morning routine was part of my daily self care and I'm missing it desperately.