I like to get up early before everyday life begins.  It’s rejuvenating and peaceful and might be my favorite time of day.  A little morning solitude is good for the soul. Also, the house is still clean at that point, so it’s kinda nice to enjoy it while it lasts.

I usually get up when it’s still dark outside, so I open the blinds in our family room so that I can watch the black turn purply-blue turn bright with daylight.  I cue up Pandora (Kenny G Holiday if it’s seasonally appropriate) and start the coffee.  My mom used to play the Kenny G Holiday CD during Christmastime every year, and it’s magic hasn’t left me.  It reminds me of home and sitting in the back of a mini-van with my sisters, quoting his version of Auld Lang Syne on the way to Michigan for Thanksgiving.  If it’s cold, I start a fire with the kindling I gathered from the night before.   Just kidding.  I flip a switch and Voila! Fire!

I also have quiet time with God.  I read the Bible, journal, pray, work on a study, or sometimes I’m just quiet and introspective.

Afterwards, I usually pop on Instagram or Facebook, and then I might do a little work.

 When I go to bed at night, I usually can’t wait to get up so I can indulge in a little bit of solitude with a mug of warm coffee, tinted the perfect shade of just-enough-milk to balance out the bitter.

The older I get, the earlier I get up.  Why is that?  Of course, there is the value in alone time and being able to press the Reset Button before the day has begun.  And, time with our Savior is always precious.  Those daylight hours are a gift, though, even when I don’t see them as such.  Time with my babies is limited, though being present has been my greatest challenge during the day lately.  Meals to prepare, things to tidy, heaps upon heaps of laundry to wash and fold and put away (which all but zaps the life right outta me – least favorite chore e v e r), bills to pay, looming work to finish, and too many distractions to name.

Keeping the main thing the main thing doesn’t always come easy.

But, I’ve found that if I can spend a little time in the morning preparing my mind for the day, I’m able to do a better job at being a mommy and a wife and a teacher.

And, right now, getting up at 5:30am is worth having my game face on for the rest of the day.

What about you? Do you need your morning solitude, too?