Remembering the Gift of Morning

Each awakening,

one deep inhale

is filling my body with

a newness, a readiness, a

gift of freshness to welcome the new day.

No lugging of worries or

doubt, hanging over from turbulent slumber.

Mysteriously whisked away

placed into a releasing exhale

in molecules fading into the heavens.

Your mind influences your

waking body’s perception so

hand yourself a gift of positivity as you step into this new day.

This is a Golden Shovel poem created from Days by Billy Collins. The line that spoke to me from that poem was “Each day is a gift, no doubt, that is placed into your waking hands.” Thank you Leigh Anne Eck for sharing this poem during your workshop this morning at Teach Write Summer Camp.

I needed the reminder of the gift each day gives us to begin anew. We still might have the same issues or troubles as yesterday but we can set how we react and approach them with each new day. I am striving to get better at letting go of what I can’t control and focusing on how I deal with those issues by controlling my thoughts and reactions. That first big breath each morning is a physical way for me to fill myself with a newness and release any taunting worries or fears from the darkness. Sometimes it works better than others, but it is giving myself a gift to start the day in a positive way- even if it doesn’t last long but at least it graces the beginning steps into each morning.

Here is a link to the full poem by Billy Collins: https://www.poetseers.org/contemporary-poets/poet-laureates/billy-collins/days/