Before I Really Get Up...

It has been a good week of diving intot the world of prompted writing.  It is Day seven of  Rise and Write and here is my prompt from Natalia.  

Write about your morning ritual. You wake up… then what usually happens? Write about how your body feels, what you think about, what you like to do, to eat or drink the first thing in the morning. It does not have to be about you. Write about your character if you prefer – What is their morning routine?

Before I really get up...

Rarely do I need an alarm clock to wake up.  I set one every night for 5:50, but on most mornings, weekends included, I'm wide awaken thinking about the day before the beeping thing goes off.  Sure, I eventually open my eyes, stumble into the bathroom to douse my face with cold water, and head to the kitchen to get that first cup of coffee. However, the morning  think is probably my true ritual.
  
I have been told by some this is a source of my anxiety.  "You need to just get up ad get going.  You think too much therefore you worry too much." This was said by a friend on a recent walk after I shared some recent morning ponderings. I admit it.  On months when my husband's commissions are low, I wake up an do mathematical calculations in my head as to whether or not the funds in the check book will cover all the bills. I recalculate vacation costs, and then fret if we really can afford to go.  In the weeks leading up to Christmas, I do a running checklist in my head on who I have or haven't yet shopped for, what I purchased, and then second guess if I selected the right things. I think about my kids, their current life and their future. I get a mix of joy and apprehension because the job market, even in this improving economy, has been tough for them both.  

But then, I also use this quiet reflective morning time to work out solutions to nagging and sometimes real problems.  In the dark, I can think through various scenarios and think through worst case, and often I've worked out that if worst case happened, I'd be able to deal with situation. I debrief in my head about conversations or situations, and see what could have been done differently, or what my next actions will be. 

Once I have decided to get up, I first do a series of stretched in my bed. I roll my ankles, my hips side to side. I draw each leg up to my chest, one at a time, and then both together. Then I find that cold water for my face, and that hot cup of java for my  mouth and soul, and I start my day. I must add though, that this past week has altered my morning.  My think time has been my Rise and Write time. It is early to think if there is a change to my outlook not having this silent time in the dark.  Perhaps that is what writing for oneself is, just thinking on paper, or on a computer, or in a cloud.