Being present. Day 2: How not to start your (Monday) morning

I almost seriously overslept this morning. You’d think that after a cozy, slow weekend at home, I’d be all rested up, but apparently I turned off my alarm at 5:40 and dropped back into a deep sleep. I blame it on the super full moon. She had me all messed up all night long. In any case, I woke with a start at 6:15 and jumped out of bed. Not at all the most awesome way to start a Monday morning.

And, on top of that, I’m working hard practice living a life of presence, which means, for me at least, creating time to meditate every single morning. Having that time to just be + breathe cultivates a sense of grounding and an awareness of the present moment that is just what I’ve dedicated this month to.

But, nevermind the fact that I flew out of the bed, feeling a bit miffed at myself for falling back asleep. By the time I had put on the pot of coffee + started washing my face, I was calm + in the groove. That irritation + feeling of frenzy had disappeared simply because I decided to focus one moment at a time. I accepted that I got up at 6:15 instead of 5:45, and I moved on. That was that.

So, when my coffee was done, I turned on the Christmas tree, lit some candles, opened my computer and started writing. I actually didn’t even do any meditation this morning at all. A little stretching and breathing, yes. But, I went straight into writing.

The other thing that I did was to listen to a little December playlist while I was writing. This playlist is one that I made especially for this month’s focus on being present.

So, for today’s Advent post, I’d like to share that playlist with you.

The practice of listening to music is something that I believe centers us and gives us a few minutes of grounding. And today, I challenge you to join me in hitting shuffle on the December playlist every morning and letting the song that begins playing be your inspiration for the day.

Just close your eyes + feel the music. Hear the lyrics. Let whatever message you feel come to you. Your soul, your spirit know what message to give to you, so just let it come.

This week, my Advent calendar is all about settling in to just being present. So, no matter if everything goes as calmly as planned or if we wake up 30 minutes late + immediately feel stressed and off-balance, we can take a few breaths, ground ourselves in the moment, and return to presence.

In fact, who cares if we wake up late? The real way not to start your morning has nothing to do with what time we wake up or whether we feel stressed or not. The real way to not start your morning is to not give yourself just a few moments to just be. In other words, make that time. Create it. Find time for it. Even on the days you wake up late.

So, this week, in order to reach that balanced, calm feeling, let the music bring you back to the present moment… and discover how living a life of presence brings you harmony, peace, and a sense of trust in the unfolding of your days.

xoxo. liz.


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