What makes an ordinary morning wonderful? I’m sure the answers will vary depending on the individual.
Last Thursday, I woke up early , around 6 a.m. It’s not unusually early for me because my body clock wakes me up around that time .
I planned the night before that I would do my walking and do some errands. But typhoon Maring had just visited the country and was still bringing rains. I thought that the day would be clear. It’s clear but I could feel the sparse, tiny droplets of rain, almost inexistent but can be felt nevertheless. I’ve set my mind on going out so I still prepared to go out. I drank coffee, changed to walking outfit, took out a mask and my face shield and just to be sure, I brought an umbrella in case it rained hard.
The moment I stepped out I knew I made the right decision to proceed. I loved the feel of the morning air. The rains cleansed the air and the sun filtered by the clouds but still casting its light make it just right for walking. I exchanged smiles, or nods because we were wearing masks, with the few who were also taking their early morning walk. I reached the guard house and the guard waved at me and greeted me good morning, I greeted him back. It felt good to be exchanging smiles and greetings.
My first destination was our church. The 7 o’clock mass had just finished. I met some nuns walking, on their way home. They smiled and greeted me and it felt like they said “peace be with you” with their calm and kind faces.
Then I was at the front of our church and a feeling of serenity and joy enveloped me.
I entered and there were just a couple of church goers in separate sides of the church. If I felt the peace outside, it felt even more calm and peaceful inside. I stayed for a while, elevating my prayers and then sat, reflecting and just absorbing the serenity. When I went out, a man approached me and asked me if I could spare some help and I did. I sometimes hesitate giving dole outs but this time I simply gave.
I walked out of the church and admired once again the greens and flowers in the church yard. The plants were vibrant because of the recent rains.
My next stop was McDonald’s to have breakfast. There were only a few of us, more grab delivery men were waiting outside. Dine-in was only allowed for vaccinated persons and there were only three of us. I was so delighted by my breakfast. It’s a change from my usual fare at home. I also noticed and was pleased that they were using wooden/bamboo spoon , fork and stirrer instead of the usual plastic. I had more reasons to be pleased.
I walked to the bank after breakfast. By this time it was 9 o’clock a.m. and the bank was already open. It was early so I didn’t have to queue for long. There was only a queue because they were limiting the people inside the bank in accordance with health protocol in this time of pandemic.
On my way home, I stopped by a fruit stand to buy some fresh fruits. There were many which I would have liked to buy but I only chose as much as I could carry , ponkan and rambutan.
Then I was home. And I thought, what a wonderful morning it was.
Thinking about that morning now, I wondered what made that ordinary morning wonderful. Probable reasons are:
- I just woke up in the right side of the bed.
- I’m really a simple person with simple joys.
- It’s always nice to exchange smiles and greetings.
- I accomplished my errands and accomplishment makes us feel good.
- I’ve been staying at home for days because of the pandemic and it was nice to walk and feel free again.
- My breakfast , a change in my usual breakfast fare, served as my comfort food. Also, I always liked fruits and the fruits I bought looked and tasted good .
- Spiritual experience in church.
- Giving does a lot of good to the giver too.
- The weather was nice.
- Exercise/exertion, in this case walking, improves our mood
I say, all of the above.
Just Sharing 