photo courtesy of Rebecca Sower
Alexandra Stoddard advocates elevating every day moments into daily rituals. In her book Living A Beautiful Life she writes:
One of the real goals of having rituals is to make sure there is ample time given to making the small things in our lives count. In this way, we enrich the whole of our lives, and continuity provides daily and weekly enrichment.
In my conversation with her, I asked Alexandra what her favorite daily ritual is. Without hesitation she answered, “Morning Solitude.” She said solitude in the mornings sets the tone for her whole day. She does not rush to connect herself with the world upon awakening. Rather, she gets up early and begins her day usually sitting at her writing desk. She loves to study, learn and contemplate. She says that the hours she spends alone in the early hours of the morning allow her to “focus inward with a clear head, preparing myself for the demands of the day.”
In her book Gracious Living in A New World Alexandra writes, “We fill our well before emptying it.” I love that.
I find this ritual of morning solitude to be a common theme among women who understand the concept of living a beautiful life. They understand the power of solitude and time for quiet thought, study, prayer and contemplation.
One such woman I admire is artist and blogger Rebecca Sower. She had this to share with us:
I’m including a photo of one of my most inspirational spots in my home…my seat in the sun. It’s just a small cafe table by my bedroom window where the morning sun comes in. It’s where I have my morning coffee, read, reflect, journal and sometimes just sit and stare out at the cows in the pasture.
Sounds dreamy to me, and her room is to die for!
Read more Grace Notes from Alexandra Stoddard!
Be sure and scroll back to see all the lovely goodness, inspiring ideas and featured guests that have already been posted! Thank you for encouraging everyone who is participating in Inspiration Week!
Next up: Kim from Daisy Cottage shares her morning ritual!
Photo copyright & courtesy of: Rebecca Sower
Find Rebecca at her lovely blog here.
Enjoy Rebecca’s wonderful shop of handcrafted items here.
Before da bebies I used to start my morning with a quite time – now I start it with feeding 2 bebies and checking my blog email account at the same time!!
Mornings are my favorite time too.
I love the quiet of an early morning.
Alison
Rebecca, what a glorious spot to celebrate morning’s beauty!
xo,
Kim
Early morning solitude is my favortie part of the day…next to evenings spent with hubby on the couch.Wonderful post!~Sharon
I can just imagine sitting there in the morning sun. In the warm months, I always start my morning on the porch. I need a place like Rebecca’s for winter. I must work on that…. ((hugs)) Rosie
There’s nothing like the quiet morning, the first cup of coffee, my journal, my thoughts and prayers. Rebecca, you are blessed with sunshine! It’s been a long time since we’ve seen early morning sunshine here in Central Vermont! But, the blessings of a peaceful moment are universal. Thank you for sharing your lovely spot with us.
How funny, I just had a conversation with my hubbie today, about something similar to this. He is a by the clock person. I am not. If I said to him, I need to take a few minutes each morning to meditate, or journal, he would say, “OK!”. But, if I didn’t come out of the room after a few minutes, he would come see if I was ok – lol. He is very literal…
Penny
A running injury sidelined me a few months ago. I ran very early in the mornings and suddenly I found myself still getting up at an early hour, but unable to run.
I started with Julia Cameron’s “Artist’s Way” , reading and journaling in those quiet hours, while sipping my morning coffee. I have three lovely mugs that are favorites due to their size as well as their design.
I started this ritual in my library, opening the windows and watchinig dawn’s rosy fingers open the day. Since then, I have moved up into a rocking chair in my studio which has an even larger window. I have finished Julia’s book and am now on “The Purpose Driven Life”, another inspirational volume that leads me to daily journaling and introspection.
At the end of each day, I have a lovely bathroom I may have emntioed before…Tiffany blue with a large comfy slipper chair to dream in. I also keep a journal there, which is specifically dediacted to daily gratitudes…..alexandra would call them Grace Notes. Yes, I keep fresh flowers in that bright blue room and daffodils are singing in there this very minute, alongside those lovely blue walls !!!!!
Hi Melissa, Rebecca’s Seat in the Sun is beautiful. Very classy elegant and a calming place of rest and reflection. And a gorgeous photo too. Thank you for sharing Rebecca. J & j xo
I’ve got several of her books and find her writings very inspirational. Thanks for inspiring me to revist her books.