The Secret to a Happy Morning

There are an infinite number of scenarios that could occur every morning. You could be woken by...

...the extreme pressure in your bladder

...your regular alarm clock, the one whose goal is to pierce your brain with the most obnoxious noises

...the sun shining through your eastern-facing window

...your roommate-the-cook, banging utensils and plates as loud as humanly possible

...the pungent aroma of your dog's gas (so much for being cute and cuddly)



And your reaction every morning could go just about in any direction, depending on whether you are a morning person or not, you woke up in the middle of an REM cycle, and how quickly you realize what day it is.

To be honest, I have experienced all of the above situations, and it's not so easy to be a good sport with all of them. The secret to a happy morning may not work every morning, but it may just shift your daily attitude enough to positively change your perspective.

Don't get up. (Unless the scenario is the first one.)

Turn your alarm clock off, look at how brightly lit your room is, pretend the pots and pans are part of the awesome "Trashin' the Camp" song from Tarzan, and opt to breathe through your mouth. Stop thinking about the list of chores you must complete today, the crazy uncle you really don't want to see, the mess that your husband surely left in the kitchen last night.

Focus on how alive you are, how your toes and fingers twitch on demand, how messy your hair is, how the cloth of your blanket feels like heaven on your skin. Think about how majestic the workings of your body are, that your heart beats as you rest, that your kidneys filter your blood without conscious command, that your eyes remember to blink.

All you have to do each morning is take 2 minutes to appreciate the fact that you are alive, that it may not always be easy, but it sure could be easier if you have a good start.


TL;DR: You are alive! Enjoy it!