My Magic Hour

I have taken to calling my early mornings The Magic Hour. It is my favorite hour (or two) of the day right now. The dawn light begins to appear outside my windows. Candles and twinkle lights glow especially pretty. I can hear the furnace running, keeping me warm and cozy in my home, and the dog snoring, fed and content and back to sleep in the kitchen.

I sit on pillows on the floor of my living room and next to me is my mug of tea or coffee (usually tea, sometimes coffee) and my basket of “hibernate goodies.” The basket holds my latest reads, my journal, a coloring book and some colored pencils, hand lotion, and some pens to write in my journal, which is also in the basket. My knitting sits nearby too, but that’s for later, when I’m watching The Great British Baking Show or season 2 of When Calls the Heart. Having all of these items in view delights me and grounds me as I sit near them.

I will write in my journal, read my latest inspirational reading (the reading only seems to happen in winter, when I really need it), and sip my hot tea. Sometimes I just sit and silently stare out the window at the softly falling snow and the “blue light” of dawn. Sometimes, like today, I am rewarded by a gloriously pink sunrise as my windows face east.

Every day, it seems, I must work hard — mentally — to avoid distractions. If I let myself first check “just one thing” on my phone or computer (as I did yesterday), the magic is suddenly lost and my time is never back. The world of work and the news of the day has entered in, and with it comes a sense of urgency, of frantic rushing, even though I have nowhere to go and absolutely no reason to rush or be frantic. But it just IS that way, when the world enters in.

So I intentionally guard my quiet time. To let checking the weather or email or work messages wait.

Instead, I sip my tea. I remind myself to just sit. I appreciate the sunrise and the candle glowing golden on my table, and the twinkle lights that surround the windows.

This time of day, The Magic Hour, is meant just for me. Not the world.

Lisa Zahn is a writer, copyeditor, and coach who writes at www.lisazahn.com, where this article was originally published.