Waking Up in Jefferson County

I guess mornings are the very best time of the day out here in the country. We sleep just next to our south facing window, so we can enjoy the very early (at this time of year) break of day. The sky in the east slowly begins to lighten and the dawn creeps into our lives sometime between 5 and 6 am. Just after 6 the sun peeks up over the tree line and the day has begun!

In case we are too tired to open our eyes to see this beautiful sight, we still cannot miss the increasing volume of the singing of birds. As the sky lightens, the birds greet the new day with song and warble.  (Some birds, just cannot be said to sing, but they try! Thence the "warble!")

A hot cup of coffee in hand is a great way to head outside to sit and reflect as the day begins. We've hung a couple of hammock chairs in the old mulberry tree up front, and after I let the chickens out I sit there to watch as they start their daylong foraging for food across our lawn and under our lilac bushes. Their day is pretty well prioritized... hunt, scratch, peck, hunt... hunt, scratch, peck, hunt... sit in the shade when it gets too hot, and in the sun when it gets too cool... hunt, scratch, peck, hunt!

I need to put a little more energy into prioritizing my day. Oh, I too can follow the hunt, scratch, peck, hunt routine in my work day. That tends to let me put out all the little fires and tie up the looose ends as I deal with each urgent matter as it comes along. But if I only stay in the "hunt, scratch, peck, hunt" mode there will be a lot of important things that don't happen, even as the urgent things get taken care of. Unlike a chicken, I need to proactively plan into my day a time for those important issues that are "out there" in my life, and that I want - and need - to make progress on.

And to do that properly, it really does help to start each day with a time of reflection and planning... sitting under the old mulberry tree, sipping my coffee and watching the day as it arrives in Jefferson County!