In Praise of Quiet Mornings
I'm writing this at 6:30 am. I’m enjoying the early morning sun and my new favorite Frères Branchiaux candle. The scent is Wakanda Forever. The candle smells amazing and the company is a Black family-owned small business. All to say, I’m feeling the #mood and almost tried to make this post a poem after I wrote the title. And then I remembered that I'm not a poet. But the title came to me first and it sounds kinda poetic, right? "In praise of quiet mornings"... After years in graduate-level English Lit classes, I’m annoyed I feel like I still don’t get poetry.
Wait. I just remembered an Audre Lorde passage that actually carried me through those graduate-level English Lit classes. It changed my mind about poetry and made me feel like I “got it.”
Poetry is not only a dream and vision; it is the skeleton architecture of our lives. It lays the foundation for a future of change, a bridge across our fears of what has never been before.... The white fathers told us: I think, therefore I am. The Black mother within each of us —the poet— whispers in our dreams: I feel therefore I can be free. Poetry coins the language to express and charter this revolutionary demand, the implementation of that freedom.
I went to my bookcase to look up that passage to make sure I was quoting it correctly, and my copy of Sister Outsider was actually sitting open on my couch. And...the book was already open to that exact page. Coincidence? I don’t believe in coincidences.
Okay, that was a detour from what I originally wanted to write about. But aren’t quiet early mornings the place for detours? The time when you can turn to a dogeared page in one of your favorite books and reread a passage that changed your life? Yes, they are. Which brings me back to the topic at hand—mornings.
As I’m writing this it’s still quiet outside. The constant traffic on my street hasn’t yet reached its peak. The sun is rising. I took this all in, and I felt peace and decided to return to Live Hella Well. I’ve been away for six months. There are many reasons why, and I have a post all about that coming up. But one of the reasons was because my mornings were fully occupied. I started doing yoga before work a few months ago because I was struhhhgling with staying present and in the moment while I put together a huge event for my organization. I spent most early mornings going through a flow in my softly lit living room and setting the intention of not losing my shit during the day. To some success actually. Starting up a daily yoga practice is one of the best things I’ve done for myself. But it also took away the time I allowed myself to just sit and drink coffee in the morning or write and reflect on the day ahead.
Today’s the first day in months that I woke up early, made coffee and breakfast, and sat at my table while the sun came up and just took it all in. I forgot how much I love just being in the moment in the morning. It’s quiet and peaceful and it brings me a lot of joy. That’s it. Just wanted to share these thoughts on the blog. I didn't spend hours editing this post. I don't think this post is perfect. But that's okay because I finally found my way back here. And it feels hella good.