In the morning when I first wake up, I write 3 pages in a leather bound journal. I write my first thoughts of the day in either journal form or as a prayer. It helps me throughout the day if I get all of those first thoughts out of my head and onto paper. I know what you are thinking- how could that possibly be helpful? I can tell you. When I first wake up, I am not consciously thinking of all the things. I am still trying to figure out where I am. I am foggy at best. I reach over, turn on the light and grab the pen. I don’t even get out of bed first during the week- on the weekend, I bring it down to the table so I don’t wake up the husband. I flip the journal open and date the page at the top- then I start writing. Whatever comes to me, I put on paper. One day it’s a prayer, deeply seeded in my heart, and for my children. The next day it’s just some stuff I need to get off my chest, that I mostly didn’t even know was hiding out there. Sometimes it’s anger that shines on the paper. Self-worth, finances and my role as a Christian woman have also made an appearance.
The entire point is, we have no idea the scope of things we have tucked away into our thoughts and hearts if we don’t tap into them at some point. My morning writing has become a great therapy session for me to work through some things. It has actually helped me bring clarity to a few things which were quite foggy. It has brought closure to a couple things I was hanging onto on the inside. And it has given me a safe place where no one can interject their thoughts, actions or perspectives.
When I write my morning journal as a prayer, I can write much more than the 3 pages I require of myself. I choose not to do this, but I could. The things I pray about when the pen is flowing are surprisingly different than the things I pray about when I meditate. I am more involved in the prayer. It is on paper- I can see it. When I see what I pray for, I am much more focused than when I pray out loud. I am less apt to get distracted and more focused on the prayer I am offering up.
Writing in the morning has always been a goal, but I never was good at implementing it. Now I set the alarm and at 5:30 I roll over and start. It’s now part of my routine. It wasn’t my idea either. There is a fantastic book about the impact of Morning Pages. It has seriously changed my life as I know it. The Miracle of Morning Pages by Julie Cameron is the best prompt I have read to get myself moving on the morning writing. It is part of her previous work The Artists Way, and I highly recommend it.
I would like to challenge you to get a copy of this book and read it, implement it for 30 days. There are things locked up inside you which would love to break free. If you aren’t a writer, good news! You don’t have to be. Everyone needs a place to express themselves privately, in their own time and with their own words- untouched by anyone else. This is a good place to start.