Sunrise Serenity

Sitting with my coffee in the early morning quiet. I can’t fully express just much I love this. It is the most centered and peaceful moment of the day. Watching out the window as the sun comes up I think it’s the time when the day still belongs to nature; we haven’t cluttered it up yet with our noise and nonsense. I actually feel like nature is allowing me to be a part of their morning. As my friend Dan says, "I love the early morning period before anyone else gets up. The day changes when they do." Indeed so. By 9am the secret of the early hours is over. For now though, I will simply cherish the moment and be humbled by my part in it. 

Sunday Morning Serenity

I walked Rufus and it was one of those mornings where there was so little activity outside you'd swear overnight the world ended and you're the last person alive. It was dead quiet. Just me, my Frenchie, and the sunrise. Now I'm back in the house enjoying my morning coffee. No music. No television*. Just the growing day out the windows and peace and quiet. For the life of me I can't figure out why people are afraid of this kind of serenity.

*I don't own a television. I stream things I want to watch on my laptop. My total viewing time is about three to four hours a week. 

The Strength of Introverts

 

We're told that quiet is 'boring' and 'loud' is fun."
— Sena Shimotsuma, "The Strengths of Introverts"

If you're an introvert like me, I highly recommend checking out some of Sena Shimotsuma's videos. He's incredibly insightful and has a unique perspective that I appreciate. Click on the image above for the link to his "The Strength of Introverts" video the above quote is from. Enjoy.

The Bullhorn of Happiness

It occurred to me this morning that for the past year and a half we've been getting blatant, in-your-face messages. Messages that are telling us to slow down, enjoy your life as it is in this very moment, stop chasing false success in the form of stuff, look inward, and appreciate the present. 

That message has come in the form of everything from COVID lockdowns to Facebook crashes. Yesterday without Facebook did seem weird, yes. But it was much like turning off a squawky television and enjoying the peace and quiet. 

And yet despite all the bullhorns showing us the way to deeper happinesses, we go right back to "the way things were" or exhaust ourselves chasing it. Sometimes I think we'll never, ever learn.

The Peace of Presence

There comes an age where priorities and things one thought were so important honestly aren't anymore. All you'd like is peace and quiet. Living a simple, uncomplicated life, quietly sipping your coffee or tea in your favorite chair as the sun's coming up. Moving through the day knowing where you are with yourself and feeling like your'e fully in the present moment.

Morning Coffee

I'm sitting sipping my coffee in my favorite chair in my dining room. In that moment in the quiet of the morning, the sun not up yet, I realize it's the perfect moment. Not perfect in the sense of everything arranged just so or everything aligned to the boundaries of a perfectionist mentality. Perfect in the sense of simple. The simple moments are the most profound and usually the most overlooked. Sipping coffee in a favorite chair at the favorite time of day. What could possibly be better than that?

The Healing Snow

It's snowing again here in Chicago. That's twice this week, and in April of all months. Watching it falling so gently and quietly through my dining room windows a single notion keeps overwhelming my thinking. This is the Earth's way of saying, "Stay inside. I'm not ready for you to come back out yet. I'm not done healing from the damage you've done." 

Sunrise

It's 6.13am as I'm writing this and it's already been an incredible day. I woke at 4am this morning, made my first cup of coffee and sat in the quiet watching the sun come up and begin lighting the buildings across the street. Early morning has always been my favorite time of the day. It's quiet and peaceful, and I feel more present than any other moment of the day. Watching the sun come up in the serenity of early morning is a secret anyone can be in on.

Morning

I really, really, really dig the early morning hours, 4.30ish to about 9.30 or 10. Everything is so clear and uncluttered. This morning putzing around the house, feeling the sun coming up and filling the place with light, the morning sounds of life coming to life outside I didn't want to leave the house and taint the mood with outside negativity, hatred, hustle and bustle, and panic of everyday smallness.