Owning The Morning (as a new dad)
Chris Palmore, a respected friend, recently asked me if I would be willing to contribute a short article to his series regarding owning the morning, to which I happily agreed. However as I sat contemplating from what angle I would approach this topic I started to feel as if recently the morning has been owning me, and that its only within the past month or so that I’ve begun to gain some foothold. If the morning does in fact own me what right do I have to contribute in any way to this dialogue of ideas and advice?
Six months ago I became the father of a beautiful baby boy named Henley, even typing that statement fills me with pride and joy backed by an overwhelming sense of responsibility. I remember the day we left the hospital thinking I’m responsible for guiding this tiny little life and how is that even possible when I still call my parents seeking advice and wisdom practically daily. Those first weeks were consumed in concern with every little noise he made as well as a constant presence of awe at the miracle of this new life. My mornings quickly owned me, there wasn’t much I did that didn’t revolve around tending to my son and pushing aside those things I previously considered vital to my own happiness. As time has progressed my wife and I have begun to settle into a schedule, although often interrupted or altered, to which we approach our mornings. Every week this process gets a little more familiar and relaxed yet it is often adjusted due to this new life and the unexpected demands that come alongside it.
I could share with you the habits I’ve formed and the self care I’ve implemented in my mornings. I truly believe that owning each and every morning we are blessed enough to enjoy is a necessity to living a healthy life, however I feel there is also wisdom in accepting those periods of transition, struggle, and fear. There are mornings we feel own us yet the reality is that they are still ours, although unfamiliar and unwilling to fit neatly into the mold we so meticulously constructed. To step into these transitions of life with the knowledge that life is fluid and will change whether or not we deem it time to do so is where we find our freedom to own the morning. This willingness to allow the feared and unknowable aspects of life to wash over us and change us enables us to find peace and ownership. Even in the most confusing periods we face ranging from the demand on time the addition of a new life brings to finding new meaning in the abundance of empty space that comes with the loss of a loved one. Strangely enough the moral of the story is that it’s only in surrendering our lives to the beautiful struggle that they will be, with or without our consent, that we find the ability to own them.
Bailey Hampton, MSC
life unpacked 