Portrait of a Morning

Today's cloudy, rainy, and just what I need! I wouldn't say it's cool, but it's not as hot as it has been, and I am so grateful for the respite. The heat lately has been wiping me out. I have so little energy, and I'm always sweaty and uncomfortable. I feel like the Swamp Thing.

Confession: I don't actually know what Swamp Thing is, so I just googled it, and ew! 

But yeah... I feel like I just crawled out of a swamp, and I look it, too. And now that I have a visual of Swamp Thing, I can only assume he's Vecna's older brother. Or younger. It's hard to assess the ages of the creatures. 

Anyway, today started out just right. I'm a morning person - most of my energy and enthusiasm each day is gone by 10:00, so mornings are very important to me. I don't have a set routine because each day is different depending on the schedule, especially in summer, but I do have some morning preferences. If I can achieve several of my morning "preferences," I set myself up for a better day. Some of my preferences include:

• Wake up by 6:00
• Read a Conference talk
• Do Wordle
• Go for a walk
• Drink water
• Sit outside for about 20 minutes
• Kids sleep til 8:00 (hey, I'm just stating "preferences" - this doesn't actually happen)
• Get a chore started (usually a load of laundry or dishes)
• Read or listen to an audiobook
• Check the garden
• Eat breakfast
• Update the budget
• Finalize a dinner plan
• Grocery shop, if needed

(Notice that showering doesn't make the list. I'm not sure what that says about me...)

This morning, I was able to hit several of my preferences. I woke up at 6:00 and walked three miles. 

I keep hoping to find the cougar, but my walking friends aren’t so excited about the idea

When I got home, I filled up my Maverik cup with ice water and went outside (I've been drinking out of this cup for two weeks because I'm soda sober again, and something about drinking from a soda cup helps me cope). 

I put my earbuds in and turned on an audiobook while I did my garden check, let the chickens out, and gathered the eggs. 

I sat in a chair under a tree and finished Wordle and enjoyed just existing. Sometimes it's exhausting to exist. Other times, it's rather delightful. This morning it was delightful. I watched the chickens scavenging around the yard, admired the flowers I've grown from seed (a huge triumph, as I am not good at flowers), and basked in the not-too-hot temperatures, and I recognized how simple bliss can be. 

Then my kids came outside and started fighting. 

THE END.