Each morning I awake to the beeping of my alarm, a slumberous puppy groaning his displeasure at the interruption by my side, and the quiet rustlings of Cameron packing himself lunch in the kitchen. I stumble out of bed, don a sweatshirt, and kiss my husband goodbye as he leaves for work. In the sleepy, dim lights of our house, I pour myself a cup of coffee and slide into my slippers to enjoy a taste of the brisk morning air as I retrieve the New York Times from the edge of the driveway. The next half hour is possibly the most cherished of my day, sipping my morning cup of coffee and engulfing myself in the daily news, everything from politics to food, diplomacy to style, I could never choose a favorite section. As the sun peeks around the corners of the sky, the only sounds are Sampson’s quiet snores (he’s moved from the bed to the couch) and the rustle of the newspaper.
As a millennial who is every bit engulfed in the world of technology, I admit it’s a strange habit. Many of my closest friends and family would be shocked, I’m certain, to learn I read the physical paper every morning. However, between debugs and ticket review, Erlang code and Linux commands my work life is a swarm of numbers and logic (I love it, but that’s the reality). In my spare time, I enjoy working on this blog and watching stand-up comedy with Cameron. All of it, always in front of a screen.
The past year, I’ve been noticing a bit of generalized anxiety. It ebbs and flows, often fading away entirely, but lately, I’ve been feeling extra frayed. I worry about my job, my family, my friends, random passersby on the street; sometimes I couldn’t even tell you what I was worried about, but the feeling was there. I do fully realize I am blessed to have no “real” worries and despite these moments of minor anxiety, I’m never unhappy. Not fully able to pinpoint a reason for the worry, I read a few blog posts of others and many said time away from a screen helped. I took it to heart, and I know it’s helped me. Starting my morning with the calming peace of the newspaper and ending it was a bit of meditation (I highly recommend the Headspace app) has done wonders for my racing mind.
What’s your morning routine like? Are there any other 20-somethings that read the newspaper every morning (I know my brother reads the online version each morning!)?
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