Magic of Three

We took a walk for the first time all week.

I’ve been busy all week, running wildly. After work I mowed the yard and did laundry, made a birthday cake and caramel popcorn and cookies, read bedtime stories and checked on kids’ school work, supervised baths and dishes and cleaning, put up birthday decorations, and got up early every morning. By Wednesday night I was ragged. I crawled into bed after falling asleep on the couch, both times holding the new book I couldn’t wait to read but couldn’t stay awake long enough to make progress. 

I thought of John Mark Comer’s book The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry as I sank into sleep and felt sad. My life wasn’t supposed to look like a tornado anymore. There had to be something else I could let go, but I wasn’t sure what it would be.

Then I woke up this morning to the magic of three.

Because of my frantic rush the night before, I didn’t think of resetting my alarm, and I got up earlier than I needed. At first I was irritated--I could have slept longer!--but it’s hard to stay aggravated when you’re barely awake. I started the coffee and sat down on the couch with my Bible and the liturgy book Every Moment Holy. 

The whole house was silent except for the gurgle of the coffeepot and the low whoosh of the air conditioner. It was over an hour before anyone else had to get up, and I sank into the silence with a steaming mug and my prayer time. My soul slowly woke; my heart reached up, and I breathed and prayed.

Afterward, I picked up my journal and wrote a page, stopping only for  sips of coffee, trying to let my mind wander freely over the page without judgement or censorship. It’s a shorter version of Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages, and I do think it helps open up creativity and get my mind ready to dream up new things to write, especially when I feel stuck. I almost never have time to journal before work, and it felt sweet to finish my page and cap the pen.

Finally, I cracked open the book I’ve been waiting to read and lost myself in the author’s familiar, comforting writing until the coffee mug was empty and it was time to get ready to go. I’ve never read this story, but the writer’s style is an old friend, which is a perfect way to start a day.

When I unfolded myself from the couch and headed to iron pants and brush my teeth, I felt more refreshed than I had all week. The magic of those three things--silence, writing, and reading--reset my day. 

I know I won’t be able to do those three things every morning, and maybe that’s not even what I need. Maybe the longer I practice, I’ll become better at slowing my life and listening to what I need in it without any kind of special structure. But for today, I’m thankful for the quiet, the writing, and the reading, and the the way they helped me remember how I want to live.