Mornings with Howie
My wife and I are babysitting my daughter’s rabbit while she is on her honeymoon. He’s a happy guy that she named William Howard Taft (Taft stands for Totally Awesome Fun Times). She calls him Howie.
Howie is used to lots of attention. He likes to be groomed, fed twice a day and let out every morning for his daily romp. So in an effort to be good pet grandparents, Susie and I are doing our best to keep up the routine.
Every morning for the last several days I’ve been going outside with Howie. I put him out in our fenced-in backyard and let him run and romp and jump while I drink my coffee. It has become a favorite part of my day.
Sometimes I’ll journal or pray or read my Bible. Sometimes I’ll just sit back, watch Howie and listen to the assortment of birds in our yard talk to each other. But these slow starts to my days have been really good for me.
In case you don’t know, a few months ago I took some time off from work because of fatigue and depression. I am doing much better. I’ve started preaching again and am slowly trying to step back into my responsibilities. But I’m not 100% yet. This healing is a long process.
I’m not used to slow mornings. Six months ago I was out of the door every day by six. I’d head over to my office for prayer, then usually a breakfast meeting, then back to my office for more meetings and other work.
SLOW wasn’t part of my vocabulary. That’s why I think my mornings with Howie mean so much to me.
No, it’s not about time with the rabbit. He tends to ignore me and run from me when I try to take him inside. I typically have to chase him until he’s exhausted and forced to let me pick him up.
It’s about the quiet. It’s about the fresh morning air. It’s about savoring good coffee, the birds singing, and a few extra minutes with Susie.
Something in my spirit is telling me that God likes my new routine. I think he likes the extra time I’m taking to write out my prayers, to sit quietly before him and to enjoy his creation.
Which leaves me, of course, with a decision to make. As I step back into my work, do I resume my busy morning pace? Or, do I keep my mornings open and make these slow starts to my days a long-term practice?
What about you? When was the last time you sat and enjoyed the early morning? When was the last time when drank coffee when you weren’t in your car? How would your life look different if the word HURRY wasn’t written over your door and the last thing you saw as you left your house each day? What if you made the radical decision to adjust your life so that slow mornings–and thus, slower days—were normal for you?
Ultimately, hurry is a choice we all make. It might be driven by our standard of living or financial goals or commitments we’ve made. But no one has to hurry. It’s a choice. And so is slowing down.
For me, I think I’m going to keep my new pace.
My daughter gets back on Thursday and Howie will go to his new home. Hmmmm . . . . . Maybe Susie and I will have to make to trip to the pet store.
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