How I appreciate the last lazy days of summer

The weather has given us a break for a bit so that it hasn’t been as warm, while giving us a taste of what’s to come when the seasons begin to change. I like summer but I adore fall so I don’t mind the change in season as the trees shed their leaves, the evenings become cooler and socks and sweaters become the norm.

Of course, during the coldest days of winter I can’t wait for spring, but that’s how I roll. J

But even as I look forward to fall, I still appreciate the last lazy days of summer; even the cloudy ones. Summer offers longer daylight hours, plenty of opportunities to find new parks to visit for walks and hikes, and more time outdoors relaxing or playing in my herb garden. I do mean “playing” since my garden doesn’t demand as much of my time these days. I decided to give up growing vegetables after I injured my back a few years ago and the garden became too much for me to tend to. Besides, the deer were always up earlier than me and took advantage of sampling all the good stuff before I could. I finally had to give in to defeat. And even now that my back has almost healed, I’m opting out of a vegetable garden because herbs are much easier, the deer don’t bother them and I love their usefulness and wonderful smells.

Besides the daylight hours and outdoor fun, there are a few other things I enjoy about summer…

Summer allows me to enjoy a cup of coffee on the front porch as I’m warmed by the rising sun before the day gets too hot. I enjoy watching the deer wander around as they nibble on blackberries and plums on our property (they also nibble on my rose bushes when I’m not looking…another lost battle). I adore the bunnies (we have so many this year!) and love to watch as they chase each other in the yard without a care in the world. I laugh at the raccoon who has come back again this year, also for the plums, and who works his way past the deer and bunnies on his trek to climb the trees so that he can spend as much time as he needs tossing plums down to the ground (he hasn’t hit any of the others, yet). 

I smile as I watch the chipmunks compete for space with the birds in the bird feeder, or when they run back and forth along our front porch.

But I shake my head each time I discover that one of those chipmunks has yet again dug a hole in one of my flower pots displaying gnome houses and other miniatures. I guess they feel left out and would also like to live in the gnome’s neighborhood.

I enjoy so many things about summer but what I enjoy most of all is the fact that I can decide to focus on what brings me pleasure and let go of what is, really, only a temporary annoyance. If the deer eat most of the blackberries and plums, so be it. If I’m only able to enjoy a few roses in bloom during the season, at least I was able to enjoy a few. If the chipmunks continue to dig holes, I’ll just fill them in. If the birds lose out on feedings due to the chipmunks, I’ll add another feeder for them. I’d prefer to focus on what plasters a smile on my face over what might frustrate me if I gave it too much of my time.

And to me that’s what summer is about; it’s the season of connecting with nature and savoring each moment rather than adjusting the moment to meet our perceived needs and expectations.

Fall will be here soon enough and there are definitely plenty of reasons to enjoy the current season so I’ll sit back, relax and enjoy the lazy days of summer as they continue to wind down.

I hope you’re also finding ways to enjoy these last days of summer, whether with wildlife critters or not.

Until next time…have a great week!

Forming morning habits…and keeping them

I’m a fairly habitual person, when it comes to my routines, sometimes to a fault. And while I’ve had my regular morning habits, I have to admit I’ve always failed at keeping up with a good morning routine. 

What’s a good morning routine?

An early morning sunrise on Maui

A good morning routine, to me, means the ability to get up early (or at least earlier), get your butt moving and accomplishing tasks (aka: helpful habits) to help you start out your day on a positive note.

I failed at this miserably when I was at the day job, no matter how many times I told myself to stop hitting the snooze button. It never failed that I’d spring out of bed, rush to get ready and fly out the door giving myself no cushion when it came to the half hour drive to the office. I left for work in a hurry with the knowledge I was already running late, which was a poor recipe for the beginning of a calm morning.

A year and a half ago I left the day job to focus on my writing and at first my morning routine (or when I began the day) was impressive, at least for me. I was out of bed and starting my day pretty early, at least early for someone who’s working from home. But eventually, you settle into a more relaxed routine when you work from home. Finally, I realized my so-called morning routine was not only lacking, but was possibly contributing to my lack of productivity, my stress over time management and opening the door for my good friend, procrastination.

I tried different challenges to help in this department and sometimes they worked, for awhile, but my old habit of starting the day late without helpful habits seeped back in. A shorter day left me with plenty of time to write, exercise, read, walk Jozee, and any number of other daily tasks, but I wasn’t allowing the time necessary for daily preparation via morning routines, setting intentions, using affirmations, or reflection on the day along with an evening routine to help me prepare for the following day. My business plan as well as weekly and monthly tracking were helping me stay on task with my writing projects, but I needed more to help me stay focused and on task throughout the day.

So, I started another challenge to form better habits by using The Morning Sidekick Journal, and I last wrote about this when I was on day 21 out of 66. I was feeling good about my progress, although getting up early was still not that easy for me. I’ll confess that part of the reason for my inability to get up early is because I often have a difficult time staying asleep. If I wake up at 12a and can’t go back to sleep until 3a or I wake at 3a and I’m still awake at 5a, it’s not easy to give in and get out of bed at 5 and ignore the need to find those lost hours of sleep. I’ve since decided that a 5a start time is probably always going to be a stretch for me, but on nights when I sleep well enough, I enjoy starting the day between 6a-6:30a. Whether the day starts at 5, 6 or 7 a.m., part of this process is not only learning what works, but what works for you.

When I first started tracking habits for a morning routine, it seemed a little silly, especially when the instructions were to make them as easy as possible. My habits included: drink water before coffee, make the bed, eat breakfast (I don’t always), daily intentions, morning mantra, yoga (at least sun salutations to work out the kinks), push-ups, and morning pages. Most of these aren't difficult, or too time consuming, but what I discovered is that without tracking them, it was extremely easy to just hop out of bed, shower and move on with the day after making a cup of coffee. While my mornings are no longer frantic like they were when I attempted to get to the office job on time, there is something to be said about setting the tone, or the pace of the day, with a regular morning routine.

A few things I learned about getting up early: 

• repeat to yourself the night before what time you want to get up – it’s a fun exercise, especially when you eagerly roll over to look at the time to see how close you got; 
• if you use an alarm, don’t have it close to the bed so that you can snooze it; and 
• once you wake up, get up right away because snoozing just makes you feel groggy.

A few things I learned about sticking with morning habits: 

• you start the day off with more energy; 
• you start the day off on a positive note; 
• you begin the day feeling accomplished when your morning habits are completed; 
• already feeling accomplished and pleased with your progress, you’re prepped to eat the frog (complete the hardest task of the day first); and 
• having completed the hardest task, you can then look forward to having the rest of the day to complete whatever other tasks are on your list.

Forming habits can be a challenge, especially if it’s difficult to remove yourself from your normal routine and definitely if those new habits take you out of your comfort zone. I was a prime candidate for this type of challenge and I’m glad I stuck with it. It’s benefited me in more ways than I expected and now that I’ve also added an evening routine, my day feels well-rounded.

What about you? Do you have a morning routine that works? Have you formed habits that help you start the day on a positive note? If so, I’d love to hear how they work for you.

Until next time...