If you know me a little bit, you may know I love sunrises.  I love to watch them change hues, and brighten as the new day begins.

I haven’t always gotten up early.

In the early days, our family was very active…outside a lot…doing things a lot… and staying up late…  So… usually tired in the mornings. 

I had a hard time hearing the alarm, so I’d put a big stainless steel pan upside down on the floor beside my bed and put the alarm clock on it.  And try, try, try not to snooze it!

In those days, I got up at the very last minute.  I made the coffee, then started my day at a dead run.  I ended up sometimes finishing my makeup as I was driving to work (I know, I know…)

There was a stop at the babysitter (sometimes with the youngest being delivered still wrapped in her blanket—Bless Ms. Judy’s heart—for real!) and then stops at the schools.

The evenings were just as harried; when I’d come in the door at home, I’d set my youngest child (at the time) on the kitchen counter as I started peeling potatoes for the evening dinner… and on from there. 

In summer, we’d garden, and can vegetables at night.  I think we were always “over-busy”.

We did what worked for us at the time.  It wasn’t the best scenario, for sure, and didn’t instill good habits in any of us, nor did it get any of us on track for a very good “start for the day”.  But somehow we all survived it.

I don’t remember seeing any sunrises back then, unless it was while we camped out, or possibly on vacation.

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A lot happened between those days and today.  The short-cut version is that I never did learn to slow down until almost all my family was grown and out of the nest.

We worked a lot.  I took college courses.  We went to church, and had various church activities.  Always “doing” something.  And those “doing” things were always important.  Always…

The “things” we did… most of them we did together, so in our minds, it was all okay.  And if there hadn’t been so many of them (all the time), it probably was okay.  A lot of the things we did were fun things.  But we almost never just “took a breath”.

I guess eventually the fun finally faded as we were just “busy” in our own separate corners.

As the fun things were crowded out by the habits we had formed, we let our lives be taken over by the habit of “being over-busy”.

I help people learn how to put some space in your life for fun things!  Because we need fun in our lives! 

But what I’m getting to is, we need to be present in all our moments.  If we’re so busy we don’t have time or energy to “be present” in the moment we’re in, we haven’t gained anything.

We need to slow down.  If you find yourself stressing as you’re “fitting” everything in, check yourself… to make sure you’re taking time to be actually aware of your life.  We need time to reflect.  To feel the moments.

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I married for the second time in 1993.  To a cattle rancher.  We dated for several years.   In those years (and still today), he always got up early to get out and feed the cattle, and he’d call me early in the morning, usually about 5:30.

We’d have coffee together over the phone, and talk.  It’s the way our day started every day.  We’d hear the birds as they began to wake up while we talked.  I learned that that time of the day could be the most peaceful (and valuable) time of the day.  No one else awake yet…just quiet, and peaceful.  What a valuable time this is!

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It took another whole story (and lots more years of learning) to know that I could, and needed to control the rest of the day too.

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So, back to the sunrises.

It was going to be a hot day today. 

As I was beginning my morning routine, and getting ready for the busy day ahead, as I passed the windows, I watched the sun changing from a soft pink hue to a vibrant orange, and next could see the full heat of that red ball as it chased the remaining fog away and began to rise into the blue sky.

I did a few morning chores around the house, then decided I’d take a piece of sourdough toast (yes, I know… bread = not the best choice… but it fed my soul) and protein coffee out to the porch and sit for a bit before I went to the office.

Then…

is that rain??  Thunder?

Well, Yes.

So THEN I decided I’d take that toast and protein coffee out and enjoy watching the beautiful, peaceful morning shower!

Ahhh… what an enjoyable few minutes!!

Did you know that “our growth happens in our rest”?  A good friend told me those words, and I think of them just about every day.  They’re very important words to remember, for anyone who finds that rest sometimes doesn’t come easily.

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You don’t have to rise early and catch the sunrises, to be healthy.  (You can always enjoy my sunrise pictures.)  But you do have to make some changes in your life in order to be healthy. 

And you can find the equivalent to those quiet and enjoyable moments in your life.   Make it your mission to find peaceful times in your days.  It’s one very important part of finding a more peaceful life…a healthier life.

It’s time to get your health in order. 

Think about the “habit” of being over-busy.

It’s not good for you!

If you don’t make a decision FOR better health, you’ve already made the decision: you won’t keep the health you have.

If you allow yourself… well, maybe nudge (well, maybe push) yourself… to have some quiet time, you will be healthier.  You will feel better.  You will have more peace of mind.  You’ll be more able to relax.  (You’ll probably act nicer to people). You’ll probably sleep better.

If you make some changes in your life, adding time for some relaxing… some time for reflecting… some moments that you can truly think and feel deeper than just flying from one task to another… being thankful for those moments…

You’ll probably love your life a lot more.  And you’ll probably have a chance to show the people in your life that you care.  And your heart will probably grow.  And you’ll probably be able to feel peace of mind…

It really is time to get your health in order.

I encourage you to make the changes you want in your life. 

Thank you for reading… let me help you further, to have a better life.  A life that’s more full of  “the good stuff”!

Sharon