Top O' the Morning!

This is the day which the Lord has made, rejoice! and be glad.
(Psalm 118.24)

In the morning Father, cause me to hear Your loving kindness
For in You I have placed my trust
Make known to me the path I should walk
For to You, I have lifted up my spirit

I will do Your will this day
Today, the day of completion
When miracle will follow miracle
And wonders will never cease.
(Celtic Prayer)

Most every day when I wake up, these words "jump" into my head. I have been reciting them for the better parts of 35 years. Along the way I have added the 23th and 91st Psalm, the Prayer of St. Francis, and my personal favorite, Desiderata, to the mix. I will usually end my salutation with one of these. I feel more than fortunate that I developed this habit. With the advance(s) in neuroscience providing evidence, little I could have done would have produced such a beneficial outcome. To wit; "Every time you take in the good, you build a little bit of neural structure. Doing this a few times a day-for months or even years-will gradually change your brain, and how you FEEL and ACT, in far-reaching ways." (Buddha's Brain~Rick Hanson PH.D. and Richard Mendius, MD. New Harbinger Publications, Inc. Copyright 2009)

Obviously I have no idea where your initial thoughts take you each morning. Perhaps you arise eager for the day and in bright spirits raring to go! Or, you just might dread the fact it is another work day, the argument with your significant other is still unresolved, your health is lousy and the world, in general, stinks. Most likely you fall somewhere in-between. Whatever the case may be, consider doing yourself a favor and finding some uplifting quote, saying, or truism that resonates with you, and begin your day with it. As I have written elsewhere on this site; "goodness is great, if you're good to yourself." If you, of all people, can't do something nice for yourself, why should anyone else bother? Take a minute or two at the start of each day being good to yourself. Who knows, you just might start a trend.

20/20 Vision

"Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own."

The Alchemist~Paulo Coehlo