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I bound out of bed every day by 5:30 or 6:00 and give myself 30-60 minutes to center, sort, and get in the mindset to face the day. I do some positive reading, I put on my makeup, I write my affirmations, take a look outside, say a quick prayer. I don’t oversleep very often, but when I do and don’t have this “centered time,” my day looks more like “A Thousands Paths to Chaos” than the quote above from “A Thousand Paths to Tranquility.”

For those of you with school-age children, try to get in this habit now before the start of the school year. It will be much easier to wake up your children with a smile and compliment if you have had that cup of coffee and a chance to center yourself. Morning should be a pleasant time … not a mad dash and scramble to get everyone directed down their path for the day. Everyone will feel so much better, all the day through, by getting a confident and calming send-off first thing in the morning …

Your turn: Find 15-30 minutes of time for YOU in the morning. Don’t spend it checking e-mail or unloading the dishwasher. Read your Good Morning e-mail, write an affirmation, read a positive passage from a book, say your affirmations aloud. Give yourself some “soul food” to begin your day.

Your affirmation: (Write this in your Catch-All Notebook) and say it aloud at least several times today:

I care for myself and in turn care better for others when I give
myself morning reflective time.