A typical day of work starts with the early quiet hours in the morning. During these hours, I work on my personal, professional, and spiritual development. A time to learn about me, my business leadership, and deepen my relationship with God. No one is around, no littles awake, just me at my computer with my digital fireplace playing the crackles of the fire over cheap speakers. Depending on the day, I can have my favorite blanket, but I always have my freshly made coffee and my furry companions by my side. This day was just like the others when I got a text on my phone from a loved one. You know that kind. “Hey, call me when you can, I need to share with you what’s going on.”
Then the day, in my heart, started to fall almost as quickly as the sun had risen. My husband came into my office with some frustrations, and then I was met with my own challenges within our business, all the while, knowing I had to make that call as soon as possible. I could feel the pressure of the day pile on, and the only way I could sift through the stress was to identify whether the problem I was facing was something I could control or something out of my control. I made the phone call.
It wasn’t good, it was scary, it was out of my control. When those I love are not well, my whole world changes. With this news, I continued to manage my stress, as I work so hard every morning to achieve. I knew the situation was out of my control, and the situation was in the hands of those who could do something about it, and ultimately I chose to put my trust in God, and I prayed.
Funny how after that call, nothing else really mattered. My husband’s frustrations and the challenges of the business all seemed to fade as if someone was playing music in the background of a busy restaurant. Ironically, I was just coaching a team over this very thing, keeping the business and their emotional stability strong in the midst of crisis, and here my environment had been tossed up. I put myself in check. I couldn’t do anything so I must continue on with what I knew I could control, which was my emotional stability and my business.
Right now, nothing has changed. My love is still ill, but I still get up every morning, turn my digital fire on, light my candle and sit down with my coffee in hand, a blanket around my shoulders, and animals at my feet. This is where I rest my hope, a hope for a new day, for a change in the wind so I can shift my sails to face the beautiful light of the morning. These are my mornings of hope.
