You are part of my morning routine. A grounding presence each day to get my body moving and my mind centered. In addition to scriptures, prayer, and writing, your yoga videos have cultivated healing for me at a most difficult time in my life.
As I step on my mat, take my first deep breath of the day, and exhale, I begin to awaken my body. Your fluid words guide me through stretches and poses. I build flexibility and strength with each move. It’s been amazing to see how 20 minutes every morning can compound. Movements that once were challenging, are now articulated with minimal effort.
I look forward to each month’s calendar, an open invitation to move and breath with you. Even though we are separated by many states, you occupy my living room each day before the morning light has risen. I appreciate the generous gift you have given your viewers. And I know there are thousands out there like me, who look forward to their morning Yoga with Adriene 💕
The owner of a quaint bookshop in a nearby town introduced me to the author Margaret Renkl. I became an instant fan when I read Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss. Margaret writes about nature, life experiences, small joys, childhood memories, etc. Her books are little slices of her daily life in Nashville, Tennessee.
Her most recent collection is titled The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year. She writes of observations from her own yard throughout each season. There is a weekly entry full of description and wisdom that the plants and animals share with her.
Every Saturday I look forward to spending a little extra time in the morning savoring one of her entries. I’m eager to start the spring section…only a few more weeks.
Our rustic home for 3 days in Happy Valley, Tennessee
I turned over in bed and noticed the faint light penetrating the thin muslin curtains. Ah, morning time. I love the first streams of light and the soft nudge they give me to wake up and start my day in the stillness.
Brewed coffee in hand, I step out of the 100 year old cabin onto the front porch. The wooden screen door creaks on its hinges. I catch it carefully so it doesn’t slam. I breathe in the damp mountain air; feel the moisture on my skin of the fog rising off of the Smokies. I settle into the rocking chair with my books and notebook. THIS is what I came for. These next 120 minutes of time to think, reflect, observe, and be at peace in my mind.
I notice the chorus of little birds on the hillside across the quiet street. Swooping and calling in playful movements. So many varieties playing chase in the meadow.
My devotion and prayer time come first. I picked up a bible from the end table inside, inscribed with “Bobby Christian.” It molded to my hand, soft and malleable from years of use. I wonder what life was like for Bobby? Did he and his family attend the church two lots down?
A deer appears near the top of the hillside. His head on a swivel; frozen in place and looking for enemies. I beg him to relax and feel the safety of this place. He knows the area much better than I and the risk of being out in the open. Finally, he settles and feeds on the dewy grass.
Next up, notebook time. I let my mind process some of what the last month, last year has held. My role as instructional coach was put on hold to address many different needs in our building…tech support for teachers and families, teaching 6th grade math online, teaching 3rd-5th grade writing online, teaching in a very challenging 5th grade classroom in person for the last nine weeks, preparing for my son’s high school graduation and the open house that followed. Putting these thoughts on the page allows them to leave my mind; breaking the cyclical thinking attached to them.
My eyes search the unruly overgrown wire fence separating the road from the hillside. The green of the trees brings peace and calm to my being. I’m not sure what it is, but trees have this immediate effect on me.
I open Mary Oliver’s collection called Devotions. “I Worried” spoke to me. I love the last stanza: Finally I saw that worrying had come to nothing. And gave it up. And took my old body and went out into the morning, and sang. Then I read “Passing the Unworked Field” about Queen Anne’s lace, how it stands straight on its thin stems how it scrubs its white faces with the rag of the sun how it makes all the loveliness it can. Sitting in a rocker on the porch of a 100 year old cabin reading Mary Oliver. The perfect setting to feel the essence of her poetry.
I hear a rustle in the cabin. The others wake to the start of the day. My solitude time is over, but I am filled up and ready for the family time ahead.
One Blessed Block 