I have never been a morning person. I hit the snooze button until I can’t. Occasionally, that can be up to four times because I always have the intention to wake up early. My wake up time (especially during the week) crept later and later as the year progressed. As a result, my wake up ritual and time to prepare for the kiddos to enter class dwindled, and the mornings ended up being a whirlwind. That was definitely not a great way to start the day.
About one month ago, I made a commitment to write first thing in the morning. I wanted to check out what other writers were calling morning pages. I watched Julia Cameron’s video on Morning Pages and made a plan. I decided to start during the holiday break because that would give me a good 10-day stretch to try them out without affecting my sleep schedule. The true test would be when I returned to school because I would have to wake up 50 minutes earlier to maintain the practice.
Somewhere along the way, my writing friend from Canada heard me talking about my goal. She, too, wanted to write early and started hosting a Zoom meeting during the week. I thought an accountability partner was just what I needed, but it has become much more than that. I begin my day writing with a friend, and honestly, it is the BEST way to start a day. I
While I come to Zoom and my journal groggy and with heavy eyes, I leave feeling calm, clear, and ready to tackle the day. I dump all the thoughts running through my head into my notebook, and I often have time to prepare myself for what the day has to offer.
I have missed two mornings over the last 21 days. It seems as though it has been longer than that and feels like a necessity. Now, I wake up before my alarm goes off, don’t hit the snooze button, and jump out of bed to write with Karen. This is one commitment I see sticking with me.