On choosing the first thing gently.
I know for myself, I find it easier to choose what’s in my reach, or what’s in my line of sight. (I think we’re pre-programmed to take the defaults; decision-making is hard.)
This is small, but it drives how my day begins. Placing a phone on the nightstand means, in reality, “check the phone.” A book on the nightstand means “read a page.” Placing water on the nightstand means “take a sip when you wake up.”
The “morning” page in the Lavender Calm Toolkit has one thought on it: choose the first thing gently. That glass of water. A window opened. A slow breath. The list is short on purpose. The thing meant to be done before thought, not as discipline.
What makes the practice work is the ordering. The first thing of the day, whatever it is, sets the tempo. If the first thing is bracing (a notification, a list, a bunch of emails), the day starts from inside that frame. If the first thing is small and physical, the day starts from a completely different place.
The morning will fill itself either way. That part isn’t up to us. The time before it does is the negotiable part. That’s the time where keeping the things you want in arm’s reach matters.
The objects within arm’s reach tonight are quietly setting tomorrow’s tempo. Whether you rearrange them is up to you. An experiment for one morning, whenever the time is right.
Quick Note
If you need to send a gift to someone this week, the spa gift set is still available. We can’t fully promise May 10 arrival anymore, but we’ll do our best for any order placed in the next day or two.
From the Field
Late April into early May. Some rows are still pushing stalks. Others are already in flower. The bees have started showing up, especially in the top half of the Sunshine Field. 🐝
Many of the angustifolia plants are starting to turn purple, and a few of the grosso plants are just beginning to stretch out. They’re liking how the weather is starting to warm up.
Wildlife Watch
A rabbit came through the rows at sunrise this week. The rabbits (or hares? I’m truthfully not sure of the difference, I should look that up) we see in the field are huge. The camera caught this one in the path between the rows, ears up, lazily hopping. The light at that hour of the morning is pretty spectacular; she had it to herself.
It’s a new month. Rabbit, rabbit.