I am not a morning person. There is a lifetime of examples that support this statement. So, when listening to the country song “Touch the Morning” by Don Gibson recently, I was surprised that a random song on the topic of ‘mornings” touched something in my mind and heart. I brushed it off and moved on. But that song title kept coming up in the corners of my mind for weeks. It just would not go away. Now, for many of my long-time readers, you may recall that for article topics, I like to remain open to subjects that appear out of nowhere in day-to-day activities and inspiration. Sometimes it may be a physical sign I see, an experience, comments I overhear, or events occurring around me. Some of those ideas are blog title ideas that I write in a journal for later. And some, like this song, Touch the Morning, stick with me, demanding to be written down. It may be a topic that I need to hear for myself through writing stories. Or a topic I sense others need to hear and may find helpful. Or applicable to both my readers and me. This is one for all of us. I understand the value of mornings now as an older man. However, it was not always like that. As I wrestled mentally with why this song “Touch the Morning” kept pinballing around my mind, I recalled many of the reasons I am not a morning person, starting with an early memory from elementary school in Gainesville Georgia.
Mama and Daddy both worked night shifts when I was a young kid. Mama would get up early in her sleep deprived haze to get me ready for school and prepare breakfast. Then, she would kiss me and tell me to be sure to go out to the bus stop on time before she went back to bed. The bus stop was just outside of our home and there were always several other neighborhood kids and some neighborhood women waiting with the kids. This one morning, I was all dressed and fed and sitting in my coat on the sofa watching cartoons before going out to the bus stop when Mama went back to bed. A few hours later when she got back up and came into the living room, I was still sitting there, wearing my coat, fast asleep sitting upright. Mama shouted, “Why aren’t you in school!” as I brushed the sleep out of my eyes and blinked. I knew then I was not a morning person.
Years later when I was 20 years old and joined the Air Force, the one thing Mama said when I left for basic training was “I wish I could be there on your first morning when you can’t tell that Drill Sergeant, “just five more minutes” before getting up and starting the morning. We laughed together through our tears, because she and I both knew I was not a morning person. I surprisingly was not the one that slept through reveille that first morning. That award went to a barracks mate from South Georgia who slept through all the shouting. He was still fast asleep in his rack when the drill sergeant came through. The drill sergeant leaned down close to his ear and let out the loudest shout finally startling my fellow Georgian from his slumber as the drill sergeant tilted his bed until he fell out into the floor. The drill sergeant proceeded to yell at all of us as well that we were only thinking of ourselves and not looking out for our barracks mate who was fast asleep! From then on, none of us could leave the barracks in the morning until this young man was dressed and ready to go with us or head out first. It was our first lesson on working as a team instead of individuals, a lesson we all learned quickly.
Now, flashing forward to present day, I did learn to embrace the morning and get up early when needed. It still was not my preference, but when required I could do it. I did it while on active duty in the Air Force. I did it years later when I worked as a government contractor at the Pentagon and had to be in the office for 7 am daily stand-up meetings. I did it for other jobs where I needed to be up early to work with colleagues across different global time zones. There were significant business reasons why I had to get up early and be active in the morning, and I learned how to manage it. However, I still did not get the benefits and joy of mornings and truly touching the morning.
The first time I can recall where the benefits and joy of touching the morning started becoming clearer to me was in 2009. That year, I decided I wanted to learn how to do sweep rowing (rowing crew) and join a local rowing club. But first, I had to take a learn-to-row class. There was a learn to row class in Georgetown neighborhood of Washington D.C., but it required being up and downtown on the Georgetown dock between 5 am and 6 am! It was so difficult to get up at 4 am and be out the door to row a boat on a river, still half asleep. But learning to row was a goal of mine, so I sucked it up and did it. Even though getting up early was difficult, once I was on the water and felt the boat gliding beneath me across the water as the sunrise painted the sky and river, I felt the joy of touching the morning. When I left rowing practice after showering and getting ready for work, the rest of my day was much more productive. My energy levels, outlook, and perspective were more positive on the days I chose to get up early and touch the morning.
Flash forward to circa 2017/2018, I was attending classes at university, studying organizational psychology, the science of well-being, and volunteering for a research lab in the center for the advancement of well-being. During this time, I had the opportunity to attend a well-being conference hosted by the university, with guest speaker Arianna Huffington, CEO of Thrive Global. One thing she shared at the conference has stuck me with me ever since. She said that when we first wake up in the morning, many of us immediately reach for our mobile device. She continued that the mobile device represents what the world wants for us today. Instead of immediately checking to see what the world wants from us, take a few moments in the morning to decide what we want for ourselves today. I summarize that by suggesting, take the time to touch the morning and decide what you want for yourself today before you hear what the world wants from you.
This recommendation was echoed by another recommendation I saw recently. In it the speaker suggested that when we wake in the morning, mentally look ahead to the end of the day when you are going back to bed, saying to yourself, “this was an awesome day!” Then work backwards from that feeling at bedtime to think about what would have needed to happen during the day for you to feel it was an awesome day as you get ready to sleep tonight. The speaker recommended selecting 2-3 personal and professional activities that, if they happen today, would contribute to you saying ‘this was an awesome day” as you get ready for bed tonight. That becomes your framework for the day.
Both reflections from two different speakers provided a different positive perspective on the value of touching the morning with intention, self-reflection, and purpose. That framework coupled with being present and mindful while touching the morning and enjoying the beauty of nature and other surroundings provides a framework, inspiration, motivation, and energy for the day ahead. Even sitting quietly in the stillness of morning can be energizing and inspiring for the day. Many times, I have sat watching the breaking of dawn and sunrise from my living room wherever I lived around the world. Taking the time to touch the morning can make all the difference in how you see the day ahead and face challenges with resilience, curiosity, and creativity to not just accomplish your goals, but thrive! I encourage you as always to reflect on your own stories about how you touch the morning. What benefits do you encounter when you touch the morning? What are some of your morning routines that help and motivate you for the day? And for many who work different shifts, the morning can be any time of day, whatever mornings are for you. While I will never be fully a morning person, I have learned to appreciate and lean into the joys and benefits of touching the morning. And I encourage you to experiment with touching the morning however it feels best to you, because as always, your story matters.
