Life In Between
Slow mornings, anywhere
Wherever I wake up, the first hour is mine: no phone, good coffee, an open window. A slow morning routine that travels with me, and how to build your own.
I used to treat mornings on a trip like a race: wake up early, squeeze in sights before the crowds, eat breakfast standing up. I came home tired from every vacation. Now the first hour of the day is the one thing I protect, wherever I wake up.
But it's hard to slow down on a schedule
When you've paid for a trip, every minute feels like it should be doing something. Lying in bed with the window open feels like a waste. It isn't. It's the part I remember.
Therefore, my portable morning routine
No phone for the first hour. I leave it charging across the room. The news, the messages and the map can all wait sixty minutes.
Find the coffee first. At home or in a new place, I make or find one good cup and drink it sitting down. If there's an animal around, it usually joins me.
Open a window. Every place sounds different in the morning. Birds, traffic, someone sweeping a step. Five minutes of listening tells me more about where I am than any guidebook.
Do one small, nice thing. Flowers for the table, a walk around the block, writing three lines in a notebook. Something that makes the room feel like mine.
Then plan the day, lightly. One thing I want to do, everything else optional. It's amazing how much more you see when you're not rushing to see it.
Take it home with you
This routine was born on the road, but it works on a Tuesday at home too. Try it this weekend: phone across the room, coffee sitting down, window open. And if you want more of the slower side of travel, read the hours nobody photographs.
