I had just recently started feeling better after passing my first trimester with baby number two. The nausea is gone, and I am getting my energy back. For the few six months, I have been too fatigued to do much of what I used to. I traded writing for a few more winks of sleep before Casey woke up. I traded reading for gentle yoga classes before bed. And we hired a cleaner to do all the cleaning. But last week, I started to feel slightly more me. And I wanted to get back on the ball.
So I enlisted Mike to be my accountability buddy. We made a pact to wake up an hour earlier each day to give to ourselves. That means waking up at 5:30 am so I could write and so he could go to the gym or run. After a week of doing that, we both feel so much better! I have always loved mornings, and it feels good to reclaim mornings in motherhood. Actually, it feels especially important to do so. It gave me a way to give to myself before daily responsibilities asked of me. I took what I needed before tending to anyone else. Which ironically alloved me to give my all for the rest of the day. I highly recommend it to mamas everywhere.
So what do I do with my early mornings?
Well, I can tell you what I don’t do. All those responsibilities, just ignore them completely. There will be plenty of time to make that call to your mom. You can find time to fold laundry. The dinner will get made. The early mornings are for me. Gone are the days of side-hustling in the morning. Although if you are interested in that, I’ve written about all the ways I’ve made money before the day starts. It’s a reversion to slow, intentional early mornings for me.
Whether it be doing something I love, or relaxing into some peace and quiet. Each morning I make a nice cup of coffee. I either sit down to write or read. Sometimes, I just sit there and reflect with the kitchen sliding door open. I can hear the swallows stirring in their nests, and see the sun rise. Morning light seeps in allowing with the dewy air. Just having pure silence as a mom is a wonderful thing.
In life, I believe in seasons. This particular one is a balancing act. Refinement is a constant struggle, as I try to be a present parent, doting partner, understanding clinician, and a calm, relaxed pregnant lady. Some days it seems impossible, whereas other days wonderfully fall into place. All I can say is that reprieve in the early morning hours in motherhood makes a huge difference.
Photo by Tim Foster on Unsplash
