How do you start your day?

At sunrise this morning, my coffee mug and I were treated to a herd of deer frolicking at the water’s edge like a bunch of Labradors.  In and out of the waves, no deeper than the knee joint, the deer hopped and leaped. My coffee grew cold as I followed their efforts to remain solidly planted amidst Lake Michigan’s infamous rip tides. Pressed into my wicker porch chair, I was impressive with their agility and capacity for playfulness.

As one tight little herd headed out of my view corridor, a new band of wave revelers appeared at the shoreline.  The scene was reminiscent of the packs of runners you witness at a marathon. In the course of twenty minutes, fifty deer dipped their hooves in the surf, played tag and darted off into the dune grass.

Above the beach on the county road nary a jogger or cyclist or school bus glimpsed the chaotic race.  It was too early. The sun was glowing below the horizon but hadn’t made a full entrance. I wondered if the deer started every day by the water or if today was special on account of the pounding waves.

A typical Wednesday has me unloading the dishwasher as the coffee chugs into the carafe, then I make my way to my desk to write and assemble a plan for the day.  It has not been my routine to lounge as the sun comes up, to study the shoreline for wildlife, but I’m considering the merits of such. Nature’s dawn antics were far more pleasurable than following the news flicker across the screen of my mobile.

This morning’s escapades have me contemplating the concept of morning routines. Some folks start their day with coffee, a run, a bike ride, or a trip to the gym before work. Others devour the news of the day before grabbing a shower and commuting to the office. We are indeed creatures of habit.

What if we challenged our routine, got away from our electronic devices and designer coffee stops, and mixed it up?  What if we set the alarm twenty minutes earlier, one or two days a week, and ventured outdoors for a quick peek? (If you need a label to legitimize this exercise call it ‘meditation a la nature’.)  This activity might provide an unexpected framework for the day’s ensuing challenges.

Next Wednesday, I plan to station myself in the same wicker chair with another steaming cup.  The windows will be open and the lights in the lake house will be down low. The lens cap of the binoculars will be off and the camera battery will be charged.  I do hope that Mother Nature will schedule next Wednesday as another wavy, lake day. If the deer marathon is run on a different sandy shore, I’m confident that nature will inspire me in some other grand manner.  I will be on the lookout.

I liked how I felt after the four-legged marathon this morning. The unexpected scene unfolding, the playfulness, its fleeting simple essence warmed me in a way I hadn’t anticipated. The image played in my mind throughout the chaotic routine of my Wednesday.  I found that just thinking about it took the edge off otherwise onerous tasks like servicing my car. Watching the deer in the waves was indeed like a meditation, voyeuristic but still pleasurable. Nature set a upbeat note for the middle of my week. I can’t want to achieve it again.