Anchoring Habits: What I Learned About Myself This Week
How are y’all really doing? I want to know. Last week, snow prep alone threw off my schedule mid-week. I found out about the storm through a random conversation since I’ve seriously limited my social media and news intake. I immediately went into full mama bear mode, like preparing for hibernation. Just when I thought the storm had passed, the real aftermath hit. Three kids home from school at the same time. It reminded me of last summer when we waited too long to register for camp and ended up with all three kids home the entire summer. If you know, you know. This week was not planned, but something good came out of it. I was so exhausted most nights that I went to bed before midnight, something I had been struggling with. That made it possible to wake up at my usual 4:30 a.m. to spend time with the Lord. It also made me realize how often late nights had turned my mornings into rushed time with God instead of the intentional space I wanted. After my quiet time, I had an hour blocked off for exercise. I decided not to repeat my old mistake of jumping straight into an intense workout after years of inconsistency and then walking like a penguin for a week. Instead, I searched for low-impact workouts and committed to just 25 minutes. Twenty-five very sweaty, almost-quit-but-didn’t minutes. I also ate better since I had time to prepare breakfast and broke my fast feeling more energized. I squeezed in some light cleaning and organizing, and overall, I just felt better. What surprised me most was realizing that all of this started with the one thing I’ve been consistent with for the past two years: my morning time with God. When I first started, it was simple. I’d read the scripture of the day. Over time, I slowly added more. A song. A short devotion. Journaling. Presenting my to-do list to the Lord. It wasn’t overwhelming because it was gradual.That one habit became the anchor. This week, I did the same thing again. I anchored a short workout to my time with God. Not an hour. Just 25 minutes. And for now, that works. I can build from there.