Lots of us don't do anything. We let our "shoulds" run our day. I should exercise. I should drink less coffee. I should work on that report that's due tomorrow. You get what I mean. But what if we put a thrilling, utterly alluring habit into our day, just to give us that "aliveness" that we're all looking for. I thought of what my Daily Delicious Habits might be and I thought of this -- every morning when I get up (in the dark and the cold and the snow), I pour myself a cup of coffee, turn on the gas fireplace and sit with my dogs for about five minutes. It's not very long, but I look forward to it. I think my dogs look forward to it. Maybe it brings up their ancient wolf memories and they think of sitting with their nomads around a campfire. (Or, more likely, they think if they humour me a little, I'll get up and get their breakfast!) But, no matter: It's a habit of mine that starts my day off well.
But I need more DDHs! So, tell me, what are yours? Not your "shoulds" but what is something you can (or do) put into every day to make it even more delicious (and not necessarily in a food sense). Click on the "comments" at the bottom of this post and let us all know your DDHs. Maybe we can all steal some from each other!
My DDH is to begin the day very early with a delicious homemade cappuccino and delicious "coffee talk" with my wife and beloved Anne Grete. We spend significant time--sometimes up to an hour--just talking, before breakfast. What we're thinking, what we've noticed, what's happening, what we're anticipating, who we've encountered, what makes us anxious, what we're reading, whatever comes to mind. It's a coach-like space (although no one is coaching), filled with curiosity, listening, intuition, self-management, forwarding/deepening, and appreciation for each other. Nobody gets to be wrong. Coffee talk creates and re-creates connection and our relationship every day. We savor the great privilege of having time to do that (mostly thanks to being coaches). And I do love good coffee in the morning!
ReplyDeleteMy DDH is my 45 minute walk in the forest with my beloved fur-face Lily. We rarely, if ever encounter another soul, it's just the two of us and the magical energy of the forest. Most favourite of all are sunny winter days when ice crystals are softly floating down like sparkling diamonds from the sky, beckoning me to be fully, wholeheartedly there.
ReplyDeleteps: Doug - lucky, lucky you.
My DDH is pretty simple (though not entirely environmentally friendly) -- Firstly, I love a nice loooong hot morning shower where I think through the day ahead. I confirm plans, create new ideas, set goals and feel fresh and focused to tackle the day. This is followed by a bowl of plain cereal flakes, topped with fresh fruit, soaked in milk and accompanied by one of our delicious and healthy home made fruit shakes. In the winter my meal ritual unfolds by the fire in the living room with Oliver our dapple dachshund ready and waiting to lick that cereal bowl when I'm done. In the summer the warm morning sunshine on our deck is the perfect location. There it is. Love that time in the quiet morning, without interruption looking forward to whatever each day may reveal.
ReplyDeleteMy DDR is to do at least 10 yoga Sun Salutations every day. My friend and I made a commitment to each other to practice yoga for a minimum of 10 minutes a day for 365 days. If we achieve this, our reward will be to go on a yoga retreat. But that is secondary to the reward of doing yoga daily. It feels good for my mind and my body and it feels great to keep my commitment. Even if I am having a bad day, I feel good when I think that at least I practiced my yoga. It feels like a gift I give myself each day.
ReplyDeleteMy Daily Delicious Habits is to listen to an inspirational audio cd while doing my hair and make up in the morning. It often sets my tone and intentions for the day. Currently I am listening to Spiritual Success by March Victor Hansen, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul. He makes me laugh so much and look at life in a different way. Wonderful free resource from the library - ah yes, that would be me weekly delicious habit - to see what books or audio CD's I can borrow for free!
ReplyDeleteMy DDH is getting up and curling up in the big chair in our living room and meditating with my husband David first thing each morning then writing a few things down that have touched me in the past day...I find it grounds me and set the day off to be quite delicious!
ReplyDeleteGinny