What do you do “first thing” in the morning? Yawn, stretch, maybe pandiculate; like a dog or cat? Go to the bathroom, get a cup of coffee, eat breakfast, take a shower and brush your teeth. Perhaps you make the bed, meditate, workout, read the news or check Facebook.
The top answer on Family Feud in the technocratic, new normal we call modern society would probably be – “Survey Says – Check the phone.” Recent research shows that most people think about their phone first thing upon waking up. Their first interaction of the day, often before peeling back the covers, is to fondle their phone. It’s a digital addiction, where everyone’s so obsessed with their social media, they have to have a look see, even before they go pee. Wondering how many likes they got on the latest selfie.
“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.” ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
I understand it, sort of; when I was a desk jockey, that was pretty much my first thing too, depending on how you define “thing.” There was generally a bit of pandiculating and a trip to the head, but right after that I was grabbing the phone to check emails, while making a cup of coffee. Then it was shit, shave and shower; grab the go-cup of Joe and head off, on the nightmare commute from the suburbs to the office.
I’m sure glad that part of my life is a barely discernible reflection in the rearview mirror. “First Things First” in the present paradigm are poles apart from the “hamster wheel” days of yore. We’ve recently launched ourselves on a new morning ritual at 3MPH. Walking’s always been important to us; in fact, that’s how the blog got it’s name.
“An Early Morning Walk is a blessing for the whole day.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
Until recently though, we put a number of “first things” in front of our morning walk. We’ve always appreciated the numerous health benefits and improved cognitive performance that come from a good brisk walk. But, now we’ve realized that putting the walk first also improves emotional health and lifts the spirit. So, before coffee, before making the bed and before the sun rises above the horizon, we go for a walk.
Watching the sun rise over the land has a way of adjusting our perspective. The beauty of the morning light, focuses the mind on what’s important – Beauty before me, Beauty behind me, Beauty above me, Beauty below me, Beauty all around me. I walk in Beauty…..
“Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.” ~Stephen Covey
I wondered why we didn’t realize the power of an early morning walk being the “first thing” before now. And it occurred to me that we have realized it, numerous times through the years, we just never made a ritual out of it. We’ve corrected that mistake and it’s made each day since, more magnificent and beautiful. It’s better than any medicine or pill, prescribed by allopathic practitioners. An Early Morning Walk and enjoying the sunrise may just be the most nourishing tonic in all the Great Wide World, for cultivating a healthy, happy life.