Sleeping In

I have been sleeping in a lot lately. When my alarm goes off, I turn it off without thinking twice. There’s no guilt and no racing to catch up when I finally do get out of bed. I feel a curious sense of leisure and of meeting the world in a new way. Each time I roll over or snuggle in deeper, I hear the birds beginning to sing and notice the sky is getting lighter. There is a relief in knowing that the day can begin without me. It will welcome me when I am ready to join it.

For a few years now, the morning has been my quiet time. In the stillness of the pre-dawn morning, I start the day slowly and gently. I stretch and meditate, noticing my body and my breath with reverence. The stars appear to dissolve as the dark sky lightens. When the sun begins to burst onto the scene, colors splash and shift across the sky. After stretching, I write. This is the time for thoughts that are unadulterated by the light and noise of the human world. In the early morning, I can hear and write a truth that comes from somewhere beyond myself. At the same time, it seems to come both from somewhere deep inside of me and also from the Source of all all knowing. This is sacred time and I have become its devotee.

In every role I play in the world ~ mother, partner, friend, board member, staff member ~ the most important thing I can do is to hold space for others to show up as fully as they can. These few hours in the early morning are the way that I physically and tangibly create space for myself to show up to the day. This morning sunrise time invites a sense of deep grounding, peace, and creative energy that I can tap back into throughout the day.

Yesterday morning, Thomas woke me with a gasp, “Look at that.” I sat up in bed to look out the window with him. The stunning sunrise display of pink and orange spread across the wide cloud-dappled sky. I sat up for a minute or two, taking the beauty in and wondering for a moment if I should rise to be with it. Then I laid back down, imagining that sunrise sky as a quilt worn soft by the love of many generations. I pulled the covers up under my chin and settled back into my pillow. Sleep was too sweet to leave and another vivid dream was waiting. This too is sacred time. 

Which, of course, helps me to remember the truth. It is all sacred.