Tag: island

Forcing the writing instinct… in the (earlier) morning

Yesterday, I managed to start a search for better mornings, after experiencing very enjoyable mornings in PEI on vacation, by waking up an hour earlier with the hope that I would have time for coffee, breakfast, and time to just relax in the morning before going to work. As my brother so often does, I’ve been attempting to write blogs as something to keep productive, yet relaxed, these mornings.

Micah, my brother, writes about anything and everything, from Bible prophecy, creation, and coffee, to living on the island, mowing his yard, or working on his seadoo. Nothing earth shattering, just normal, everyday stuff. It sounds like a  good idea just to get the juices flowing in the morning and keep the mind active.

And, so, my first two early morning blogs are about (surprise) early mornings and blogs. It’s been interesting. Before this, I thought I’d be too foggy or tired to have the will to write something but actually it’s been okay. This isn’t the greatest or deepest prose in the world but it’s nice to put something out there and be part of the ongoing conversation online and between friends and family.

Who knows were I’ll go next, but in attempting to find better mornings, I’m glad I can do something I’ve enjoyed at other times and in other places.

In Search of Better Mornings

Since I came home from vacation last week, I’ve been considering changing my morning habits to wake up an hour earlier to give me a chance to have some coffee and actual breakfast, and to relax and actually have some time in morning just to sit for a little bit, like we were doing in PEI at my brother’s place each morning.

It will probably come as no surprise but it took until this morning for me to wake up an hour earlier and even then it was a struggle! Today’s alarm went off at 7am and I rolled over for a few minutes wondering whether I would really get up this time. The past two mornings I’ve just slept right in to 8am, my normal wake up time. Guess my mind likes mornings more than my body likes waking up to them!

Well, I’ve finally done it, and I’m doing what Mic does in the mornings – blogging! Not sure I’ll keep this up but who knows. The one thing I am missing is some place to just sit outside in the open air and drink coffee and relax before the rush to work starts. Oh well. One step at a time.

My Mornings

Having just come back from PEI, I enjoyed waking up with Micah, my brother, and Lindsey and Arden, his wife and daughter, to sit out on the front porch, fresh roasted coffee in hand, overlooking his yard stretching down to a small bridge crossing a small river. While I was there, the bridge was under construction, making lots of noise, and, in spite of this, we would actually sit in the sun, watching and talking, for close to an hour each day.

My mornings here, in Ontario, on the other hand, are hectic, uncomfortable, and stressful. I usually wake up resentfully clinging to a few more moments rest. Then, I struggle dozily out of bed and down the stairs to the computer where I check email for about 10 minutes. I don’t have coffee or breakfast here. I save that to eat at work (usually just a bagel, anyway). I then start daily personal hygiene, like shaving my head and showering. Then, I head back up stairs to my room where I read my Bible for about 20 minutes, alternating Old and New Testament and either Psalms or Proverbs. Then, it’s off to work in Toronto traffic on the 401.

I’ve always said I enjoy the first few moments of the day at work when I just plop down in my seat and nothing’s begging to be done yet. Maybe that’s because it’s my least stressful part of the day…

Would I change things up to achieve mornings like those I had in PEI? Should I? I’m sure it’s not half as great as it seems as I didn’t have work on the horizon of my morning to bother me as I relaxed on the porch. I certainly couldn’t find the same job out there and I don’t think I’d be as satisfied with the work, itself. And what’s a morning, anyway, without people to spend it with? As surely I presently have no one to spend it with anyway.

I guess I will just keep doing my thing. I do have something in mind. I don’t intend to live without attempting to get to a better place. But, for now, I just need to trust God to walk me through.

Journeys in Google Earth: Annolowaktook Island

An oddly symmetrical, skull-shaped island off the North-East coast of Canada. Bonus points for finding the guy who looks like he just won something!

An oddly symmetrical, skull-shaped island off the North-East coast of Canada. Bonus points for finding the guy who looks like he just won something!