fiction · Uncategorized

Five Minute Friday: Morning

This week the topic for the Five Minute Friday link-up post is Morning. What is a link-up? Essentially a link-up is when you join other bloggers and write on a similar topic. You share your blog posts with one another and begin conversations via a host site. You can head over to Kate Motaung’s page to check out other entries from inspired bloggers. Here’s my five minutes of uninterrupted, unedited writing on this week’s topic:

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*This is a short fictional piece, but very much based on my morning coffee routines.*

“Can I help you?” A tall and skinny barista asked with a plastered smile across her face. No one is ever that happy at seven A.M. I thought to myself. I’m not always as cynical as the time between waking and receiving my morning coffee.

“Yes, I’ll take a large pour over.” I said without making eye contact with the woman taking my order. The rustling in my purse to find my wallet kept me from feeling that awkward obligation to force a smile in return  to the barista’s.

“Any cream or sugar?” The barista asked as she punched a code into the register.

“No.” I scoffed a bit in my response I must admit. After all, it was seven A.M. which is the time before cream and sugar should reasonably be consumed.

“That will be $3.95.” The barista explained as if I hadn’t already known the cost of my usual drink. We exchanged my small plastic card and upon it’s return to my hand the girl whose name, Lysa, I had just noticed from her name tag pointed to the end of the counter where I would soon unite with my  coffee.

I scooted my way toward the pick up station. There were others in line ahead of me so I took my phone from my purse and began to surf social media. I was careful not to invite others to speak to me as my small talk abilities didn’t really kick in until after my first cup of the day. After finger flicking through the latest gossip on my phone for a few minutes my ears were met with the sound of Lysa, the barista, calling out my name.

“Brittany, your pour over is ready.”

I threw my phone back into the front pocket of my bag and reached my hand across the counter. The warmth of the paper cup brought the morning’s first flicker of life to my body. The smell of the coffee was wafting through the small hole in the lid of the cup. As the smell entangled my nostrils I felt my negativity melting away. I took a small sip careful not to burn my lips or mouth. And after the ammunition of one perfectly crafted drink of coffee I mustered up the energy to speak.

“Thank you.” I spoke as I turned to leave the small shop. You can’t beat a good cup of coffee in the morning to get your day started off right.

 

Family

Rise and Shine

Welcome to my very own Creative Writing Month where each day of the month I am focusing on a topic and spending fifteen minutes reflecting and writing as inspired by the topic. For more information about why and how check out my post, Writing Down the Bones.

*This weekend I spent some time away at the annual FCA Fall Retreat which I organize along with other local FCA Leaders and volunteers. Due to my lack of wifi I will be posting twice today to get caught up. 

Today’s topic: Write about your morning routine. Create a story surrounding these ideas.

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At eight o’clock this morning I awoke to mumbles and groans. My three year old daughter was groggy and shouting, “Mommy, my belly hurts.”

I rushed to her aid, swept her into my arms, and quickly carried her to the bathroom where she could get sick without ruining bed sheets or carpet. I absolutely hate when my daughter is sick. She loses all of her energy and personality and is overcome by a zombie-like coma.

After a dramatic beginning to the morning she took up residence on the couch. I granted her request to watch some of her favorite cartoons on Netflix and after providing her with some light foods and water I began my usual morning routine beside her on the couch.

It’s funny to say routine, because I don’t get the luxury of starting my day the same way twice. However, if I did have control over how each day started there would be a couple of things I would be sure to do each day. For one, I’d start each day with a pot of coffee. Not a cup, but a pot. And in a perfect  world no one would speak to me and I’d have no responsibilities until the entire pot was gone. However, this world is not perfect and that has happened twice in my life. I do have coffee at some point just about every morning.

Next, I have some quiet Bible Study and prayer time. The best days include some type of Bible Study even if it is only five minutes. I like to go through studies from apps like First5 and SheReadsTruth. Neither of these take too long, but are really well-written, relate-able, and life-changing.

After my Bible Study time I login to my AmeriBritMom site and check all emails. I reply to emails, send some out, and then check out my WordPress feed where I am able to communicate with my fellow writers and find inspiration. After catching up with those people I follow regularly I begin working on whatever post I plan to release for the day. That could be one I started a few days ago which just needs edited or on some days when I am less organized I have about thirty minutes to write, edit, and produce my post.

Once my coffee, Bible Study, and blogging are done I am free to live my day. I find that when my mornings contain all three of these activities that I am more energized and I find purpose in each day more clearly. When I don’t get those first few minutes to myself in the way I described I can be off my game and tend to be more emotional those days. Being a mom has taught me that every morning may not look exactly the same, but if I can try to fit each of these items into the first hours of my day I can be successful and OWN the day.

So as I sit on the couch beside my ill daughter I am able to work my way through these aspects of my morning routine today all while rubbing her back and passing her a water bottle every few minutes when she requests it. Fluids have been helping to return my daughter to her natural state. She’s keeping her eyes open again instead of just sleeping the day away. So I will check this last item off of my morning routine list and enjoy my day with my beautiful baby girl whose health is getting better by the minute.