Usually my mornings start about 4:30 when my cat Buddha decides I have slept long enough and that it is time for some serious loving. This usually involves purring, pointy little cat feet all over my body, and a wet nose stuffed repeatedly in my face.
This loving reminder of dawn is followed by my husband’s alarm and the sounds of him getting ready for his morning run/cycle/swim – whatever his triathlon schedule dictates. The slam of the back door when he leaves. Then the patter of little feet as the morning sounds has woken up my 4-year old. She shows up next to my bed and wonders if she can snuggle and watch Dora on my phone.
It has been a long time since I woke up because I was rested and ready to get up…
This weekend was different. For the first time in ages I woke up first. The house quiet, the sun still under the horizon, birds singing outside. And me? Wide awake and feeling rested! Guess going to bed at 9pm does the trick! I looked at the time: 5:15am…I crawled out of bed and crept down the stairs. Stealthily I brewed a cup of strong coffee, dumped a load of hazelnut creamer in it, grabbed a cross-stitch project and snuck out onto the patio with Buddha and Smokey .
Oh, blessed morning quiet. I got one cup of coffee and almost an hour of stitching before the sun broke through the neighbor’s trees and reminded me that the forecast was for a 110 degrees. I slinked inside to my studio (making sure not to slam the door) and got another blessedly quiet hour before an adorable, tiny person with a Frozen night-gown and morning hair stood in the studio doorway.
I am sharing this with you because I have been reading Gretchen Rubin’s “The Happiness Project” the last few days. It has made me think about what actually makes people in general, and me specifically, happy. And surprise, surprise! One of the things that makes me most happy in life is quiet stitching time! This isn’t a big surprise of course, but the book is inspiring me to make sure I get more of it, and less of things I don’t like to do.
Does this make me sound selfish? I will pass on the research that Gretchen Rubin sites in her book: Happy people are nicer to others, more altruistic, more optimistic, more productive, etc. So really, happy mothers are probably better mothers. Happy wives are probably better wives. To make sure I am the best mom and wife I can be, I will make sure I sometimes get to sit cross-legged in my favorite chair, a great beverage next to me, a cat napping close by, and a lovely sewing project in my hands.
When do you feel happy?
Felicia