morning routine

I wake up at 7:05. I'm the first one up in the house. My first thought is usually something about school..."What classes am I teaching today? Do I have all my materials? What's my plan? What day of the week is this? How many days until Friday?"

By 7:45 I'm down in the dark kitchen watching it gradually lighten outside while I eat my anticipated bowl of cereal. Mmm cereal. I must say, I have a knack for picking out the most satisfying grainy, honey clustered, energy-boosting cereals.

Sometimes by 7:55 when I lock the door behind me, there are voices and morning shuffles beginning upstairs as the house wakes up behind me. I walk up the sidewalk and assess the weather. Sometimes its windy, but not in a cold or daunting way. Other mornings, it's rainy and gray, and my hands won't seem to warm inside my coat sleeves. Either way, the clouds make the sky a dull kind of periwinkle. This morning the sun peeked through just enough for a proper orange sunrise. Usually I am not so lucky, but this morning it was beautiful.

The walk is short enough: just fifteen minutes over sidewalks and across small alleys. I usually walk by the church just after its bells have stopped the ringing echo that follows the morning song. Each note lingers on so that the notes start to hum together in strange harmonies.

It is my peaceful preparation for the day: a walk in the friendly rain. :)