It’s 5:00 AM. My alarm goes off. I don’t know about you but some mornings I have a hard time getting up. Okay, most mornings. I sit up, kick my feet off the bed, throw on my robe, grab my phone, and, sometimes dizzily, walk downstairs.
It’s still dark out. The house is quiet (usually). The neighborhood is quiet. This is how I like it, and this is why I get up.
You see, as moms, we are CONSTANTLY serving other people: our spouse, our kids, our coworkers, our clients, our patients, our students, our pets, our neighbors, our friends. We’re cooking meals, packing lunches, nursing babies, kissing scraped knees, cleaning up messes, making bigger messes, doing the laundry, shuffling our kids from one activity to the next, finding our husband’s keys, finding our husband’s wallet, finding our husband’s shoes. The list could go on. As wives and moms, it’s easy to forget to serve ourselves, to feed ourselves… literally and figuratively.
Sometimes, in the hustle and bustle of the day, I forget to eat a meal… or I eat really late… or I eat on the go.
Sometimes, I don’t have to time to go to the bathroom.
Sometimes, I forget to brush my teeth.
What’s even worse is that, sometimes, I forget to fill myself up so that I can effectively and efficiently serve those I love. Mommas, here lies the problem.
I get up at 5:00 AM. Every morning. Even on the weekend. You may think I’m crazy. I think I’m smart.
My reason for getting up so dang early? ME. I. THIS MOMMA RIGHT HERE. I am the reason why I get up so early. To fill myself and my needs. To love myself more in order to love my husband more and to love my son more.
You see, I can’t serve my family well if my cup isn’t full. And, indeed, I get up at 5:00 AM every morning to fill my cup. I drink my water, eat my bowl of oatmeal, pray, drink my cup of coffee, write in my gratitude journal, and then do some light exercises. In the quiet and the stillness of the morning. This is how I fill my cup.
I started this practice in college. I initially began this journey in order to accomplish all of the things I needed to accomplish in a day. I exercised in the morning, got some fresh air, showered, and got ready for the day, all before class at 8:00 AM. I quickly realized that I was a better person for doing it. I was more alert and on-task in the classroom. I had a greater sense of peace about me because I had time to reflect on the day ahead. I was a better student, a better friend, a better daughter, a better person. I had a deeper drive, a stronger passion for my mission in life. I was ready to set out and conquer the world.
Eleven years later and I’m still doing it. My mornings may have changed slightly as my life circumstances have changed, but I’m still at it. And I’m better for it.
You see, if we don’t take the time to care for ourselves, not only is it an injustice to our families, it’s an injustice to ourselves. Shall we let the fire within us die? What would our lives look like if we did?
What would our lives look like if we didn’t?
What would our lives look like if we nourished our fires, cultivated our passions, fostered our potential?
The way you sustain your being may look different than the way that I do it. I like the early mornings. I like the peace and quiet. I like the stillness of the day. I love to hear the birds chirping and to see the sun rising. I need the peace and quiet to prepare for the day that lies ahead. When I don’t take the time to do these things, I can tell. Even if I’m tired, even if I’ve gotten little sleep, I still get up.
But there are times when I need to listen to my body. My body will tell me that I need to go back to bed, I need to sleep in, I need to get some rest. And on those days, getting the rest I need is how I fill my cup.
On other days, I tell my husband not to let me back in bed. Even though I’m so tired and even though I want to crawl back in bed, I know it’s not what I need for that day. Sometimes I need to push past my tiredness and begin seizing the day. When those days arise in which I want nothing more than to get back into bed but don’t, I never regret the decision I made. I am better tired with my cup full than rested with my cup empty.
So, mommas, let me ask you this:
How do you serve yourself?
How do you fill your cup?
How do you nourish your soul?
