Every morning, I get up around 6:45.  I wash my face, brush my hair, and get dressed.  I mosey upstairs to where the coffee maker sits on the counter.  

 

I love this part of the day.  It's mine.  I don't have to share it with anyone.  After I brew my cup of joe, I take it to the living room, light a candle on the table, and just sit in the quiet ambiance.

 

This is my thinking time.  I have trained myself, over the past few years, not to go over negative things.  I don't relive yesterday's problems.  I don't rehash arguments or hurtful things.  Instead, I think about the possibilities or opportunities of this new day.  I pray for friends and family.  I breathe deep and listen to the delicious quiet of the house.

 

For far too many years, I would waste time with the thoughts of why and it's not fair,tossing around in my head.  I replaced those thoughts by saying to myself, it is what it is.

 

Those words need no further discussion.  Some things you can change and some you can't.   These days I focus on acceptance and appreciation.  Both of situations and people.  

 

I feel like every situation I go through has a purpose.  The recognition of the reason may be almost immediate, or it may take years to understand.

 

It takes a while to be comfortable with quiet.  If you're unsure of yourself, insecure, or don't want to face some thoughts in your head, quiet will seem like a punishment.  But to me, it has opened me up to viewing my life differently.  

 

Age changes a person.  Some of those changes are tough to accept. But this is one change, I'm okay with.

 

Now, turn off the background noise, pour yourself a steaming cup of coffee, and just breathe.