I am a creature of habit when it comes to mornings and getting started. I enjoy a good cup of coffee. In addition, I often find myself reaching for a container of whole wheat. I will pour the right portion into the coffee grinder on a very coarse setting and start the process of making cooked wheat. Alternative options to this meal are eggs on toast with cheese and chili, toast with vegemite and cheese, and on occasion slow cooked grits.
When I cook grits, it is always a special occasion. I do not think anyone realizes how special it is to me. Grits are a link to my past in ways I do not fully understand. Slow cooked grits are a personal discovery that reflects the best of my grandmother’s generation. They cannot be rushed. They require care and attention during the cooking session. While looking familiar, they taste different in a good, comfort food kind of way. Add a little butter, salt, and pepper and you have something special.
As I sit in the morning sun with the smell of wheat cooking, I reflect on Paul’s advice to earlier generations. “Eat your meals heartily, not worrying about what others say about you—you’re eating to God’s glory, after all, not to please them.” (1 Corinthians 10.31)
It was good advice then and it works today. While there are benefits to others as a result of our decisions about eating and taking care of our souls and minds, we are the first beneficiaries. Said another way unless we take care of ourselves, we cannot make a difference to our communities.
I doubt that the specifics of my morning work for anyone else. There is lots of room for alternatives. Whatever we choose, the following mantras are useful.
Being intentional is always better than wandering through without a plan.
Letting go of expectations often opens a door to being in a stress free moment at hand.
Preparing ones soul (heart) and mind (body) takes more than eating and drinking a cup of coffee.
Everything is ready.
