Suaimhneas: Living Goddess

“Don’t wait for a perfect day. To make it a perfect day, dance the whole day, sing every hour, and love every moment.”

Debasish Mridha

Awake at 4 this morning. That stuff is easy when you go to bed early and get your rest. I was awake before my alarm, which I love. There’s nothing like being wide awake super early and getting to turn off your alarm so you never get that jarring sensation of being pulled from the dreamworld into the waking.

At 4 am my feet hit the floor and I immediately turn up the heaters and put the kettle on to boil. Then it’s back under the comforter, though sitting up with my tablet in hand. I listen to an audiobook while I do the New York Times daily puzzles.

The current audiobook is Melissa Anderson’s biography The Way I See It: A Look Back At My Life On Little House. It’s a bit of a break from some of the heavier content I’ve listened to lately and I’m enjoying remembering the various episodes of the show that I watched as a little girl. It’s a very nice book … maybe too nice. I long for a bit more gossip and drama, but even in the wholesome Little House style, it’s still enjoyable and takes me back to a simpler time.

Doing the puzzles in the New York Times app is one of my favourite parts of the day. I start with the Wordle, which I got in four. Then I do the Connections. I have a hard time with these and probably only get them all about half of the time. Today was not one of those times unfortunately. From there I move onto the Letter Boxed, which I always solve within the desired timeframe. This is followed by Tiles, which can be a hit and miss for me. I will always solve the puzzle, but rarely with a perfect streak. I enjoy the Sudoku puzzles and always solve them, albeit sometimes with hints for the most advanced of the three. Only the Mini crossword is available in the unpaid version, so I do that next. The Mini is much easier than the full crossword. Finally, I finish up with the Spelling Bee, which only allows you to find a percentage of all the words before it shuts you off and asks you to subscribe. I always reach the cut-off point. Once I’m done the puzzles, I’ll usually do a couple of mindless paint-by-numbers as I wait for the end of a chapter or a good place to stop the book for another day.

This in-bed part of my morning routine can last for 1-2 hours depending on how quickly I finish the puzzles, how interested I am in the book, or if I decide to add a guided meditation session before I get up. This morning I didn’t meditate and I was up with the bed made and my clothes laid out to dress for the day within an hour.

At 5 am I made my matcha and moved to the couch and my computer to do a bit of writing.

Pat showed up promptly at 6 am to join me on a walk. Today was the first day we incorporated this into both of our morning routines. We headed out into the brisk snowy dark morning and walked down the road past a couple of neighbors houses and back home again, about 15 minutes total. It wasn’t exactly a marathon, but it was a beginning and we both felt energized afterward.

Pat went home to get Aiden up and off to school. I showered and dressed for the day. It still wasn’t 7 am and I don’t start work until 8. So I emptied the dishwasher, made coffee, drank some water and spent some time writing before I started my shift.

Give or take a few things like a steady meditation practice, yoga, tai chi, weights or some other exercise, and this is essentially how I would like to begin all of my mornings. This is the basic foundation I want to begin with to build all my days. When I’m puzzling and listening to books I am also feeling so grateful to be alive, to be in my home, to be looking out my window and seeing the trees, to be feeling good and well rested, to be excited about the day, to be living so close to my family … and so on.

I carry that gratitude and sense of presence into the day. I sing and dance and speak to the deer who sprint across my yard. I feel alive and full of joy.

I was a bit scattered and unfocused to begin with when I started work at 8, but that sums up most Mondays at work. I rallied this afternoon and accomplished a few tasks before I logged off around 430.

Best day so far I think! A whopping 87% of the checklist, 13/15! And for this wannabe plant-based veg-head, the fact that number two remains just out of reach is a bit bizarre. It should be the easiest point to get every day … months ago, it would have been … but there’s just a little something going on with my eating habits. I’m not quite there yet, but I’m close, and then I will crush this habit stacking stuff like a bug!

1. Drink water, matcha, green and hibiscus teas √
2. Eat more vegetables and fruits than anything else
3. Exercise √
4. Go outside √
5. Remember to stretch and squat √
6. Read or listen to a book √
7. Make your bed √
8. Enjoy the little things √
9. Be conscious and present √
10. Live in a tidy place √
11. Go outside √
12. Try new things and give yourself permission to fail √
13. Work with intention
14. Laugh loudly and often √
15. Live with gratitude √