Why I Wake Early
by Mary Oliver

Hello, sun in my face.
Hello, you who make the morning
and spread it over the fields
and into the faces of the tulips
and the nodding morning glories,
and into the windows of, even, the
miserable and crotchety–

best preacher that ever was,
dear star, that just happens
to be where you are in the universe
to keep us from ever-darkness,
to ease us with warm touching,
to hold us in the great hands of light–
good morning, good morning, good morning.

Watch, now, how I start the day
in happiness, in kindness.

---

 

Summer mornings are my favorite, and Mary Oliver is one of my favorite poets. This poem gives me endless amounts of warmth, the kind that spreads from the inside and permeates out. It speaks a truth that I have experienced. It describes why and how I love the morning sun.  In the summer the sky starts to lighten around 5am, with a cacophony of birdsong preceding the sunrise. I joke that I am like a bird in the summer: wake up with the sun and go to bed with the stars. It is a natural rhythm for me, and I often feel the most rested and energetic in the summer.

I try to start most of my mornings early with either rolling out my mat or lacing up my running shoes (with Luna in tow, of course). My morning meditation is either on a mat by a sunny window or out in the open air facing of the rising sun. I really do believe the sun is the “best preacher that ever was”. On mornings when I start mindfully with the sun, I find that my day seems a little smoother. I am in a better mood to roll with however the day unfolds. I have gratitude in my heart. I have a little more clarity in my mind. I can reflect on the day past, gather my thoughts for the day ahead and find peace in the present moment. I am able to start my day “in happiness, in kindness”.

Then, I find a cup of strong coffee 😉

How do you start your mornings? In happiness, in kindness?

Peace, love & Namaste,

Kristin