I could stare at that photo below for an inappropriately long time. It’s evocative and in-someone-else’s-moment-ish and makes me want to meet a man in trunks.
Mornings. Spent writing. Calmly. Alone. In sun. Yep.
I came across this rundown by Hunter S Thompson of his morning routine. Morning routine’s are key to life, I’ve come to learn. I’ve shared mine and others before. But this ode lifts my spirit:
“I like to eat breakfast alone, and almost never before noon;
anybody with a terminally jangled lifestyle needs at least one psychic anchor every twenty-four hours, and mine is breakfast.
In Hong Kong, Dallas, or at home—and regardless of whether or not I have been to bed—breakfast is a personal ritual that can only be properly observed alone, and in a spirit of genuine excess. The food factor should always be massive: four Bloody Marys, two grapefruits, a pot of coffee, Rangoon crêpes, a half-pound of either sausage, bacon, or corned-beef hash with diced chilies, a Spanish omelette or eggs Benedict, a quart of milk, a chopped lemon for random seasoning, and something like a slice of key lime pie, two margaritas and six lines of the best cocaine for dessert…Right, and there should also be two or three newspapers, all mail and messages, a telephone, a notebook for planning the next twenty-four hours, and at least one source of good music…all of which should be dealt with outside, in the warmth of a hot sun, and preferably stone naked.”
PS, I’m pretending I haven’t read the cocaine bit and the margaritas bit. I choose to ignore it.
I take home the psychic anchor factor. My lifestyle is terminally jangled…I survive only if I take out a wedge of time to anchor myself with time, space and aloneness. It has to be done as a routine, so that I remember to do it. Because when you’re terminally jangled you tend to forget. Mornings work best for me. My launchpad. I then try to take it away with me.
Psychically anchored…are you? Do you value it enough in your life right now?
Breakfast is my anchor too. On weekdays (workdays) I get to work, make my breakfast (poached egg, spinach, mushroom, tomato and a slice of gluten free toast with natural peanut butter. I settle in, check my emails, read all the blogs I read, check twitter and start the day. For whatever reason it makes me feel nourished and a little more “me”.
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Just made the move from Melbourne back to Vancouver & in the chaos that is moving, I find myself becoming “anchored” in sunlight (hello full swing summer), excellent tea & making daily lists!…any maybe indulgent spooning with the hubs when there’s no where in particular to be
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I cannot explain how much I want to emulate this anchoring right now…
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Doing a 35min run up a beautiful rainforest track, (which is all steps) always restarts me. I do it in the afternoons which allows me to relive the freshness and clarity I feel in the mornings… It’s like two new days in one
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This is so timely! Last Saturday I picked up The Artists Way for the first time in 10 years. I managed to knuckle down to my morning pages all week despite a slightly panicked feeling about not starting the day by jumping headfirst into a worthwhile pursuit like work.
This morning I decided to skip the journalling, as I had limited writing time before having to head out. I wrote 2 words of work-related stuff and realised the anxiety was actually about giving in to that need. I turned the computer off, wrote my 3 pages in my journal and immediately felt a sense of calm and (at least partial) readiness for the day.
It’s good to get the mess of my mind out in the morning
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September 1st, 2011 at 11:22 am
Just yesterday I read in “Letters to a Young Artist’:
“We must learn what makes us thrive and give ourselves a diet of those nutrients”.
I love Julia Cameron.
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mindfulness is key – 10 minutes to be thankful – mine is my morning coffee
– then I can launch into the day. stopping to appreciate a moment.
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There is nothing like the comfort of having an anchor point that can be fit into any day that helps remind you that you are you and allows you some focus and perspective. Especially when you are traveling, or things are changing or when you are just plain busy. It’s also nice to keep in mind that one of the keys to being able to treat yourself to a ‘break in routine’ is to have a routine to break, and if you can make that original routine hugely awesome as good old Hunter has done, then life is going to be pretty fabulous.
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September 1st, 2011 at 11:18 am
Your reply is fantastic!
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I love this! I so appreciate the need for a psychic anchor every 24 hours…at even every 12. I try to create a peaceful start to the morning that involves hot lemon water, stretching or a jog/walk, meditation and eating a nourishing breakfast alone and without rushing. It’s not always possible, but my days are immesurably calmer and happier when it is.
Thanks for that fabulous photo and ‘run down’ – great stuff. xx
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I love the aloneness of mornings, but also love that morning coffee with a loved one. I always eat the same things and everything is done in a certain order. I like that you call it your launchpad. That’s how I feel. If I’ve done it all the right way, I can’t help but have a good day!
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The HST quote is very cute. It reminds me of Proust’s single daily meal (eaten in bed, surely, and minus the cocaine), according to Alain de Botton: “Describing a typical meal to a doctor, Proust details a menu of two eggs in a cream sauce, a wing of roast chicken, three croissants, a plate of french fries, some grapes, some coffee, and a bottle of beer.” (de Botton continues: “I go frequently – and badly – to the loo,” he (Proust) tells the same doctor unsurprisingly.”
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I just LOVE your interest in morning routines Sarah – I really do think you are onto something. I love reading anything you write about them! I find that certain people actually create a morning routine that they stick to for years without even consciously realising that this routine actually provides their launchpad for the day – they just do it because they instincively know that it works and feels really good for them. I’m thinking of my dad and my boyfriend here…my dad is a small business owner, has been for over 20 years. Every morning, he wakes up super early without an alarm (amazing! I don’t know how has does this), has a shower, makes a coffe/tea and some breakky, reads the paper, waters the garden, irons his pants and off he goes! My boyfriend has a similar routine too, and he has told me that he loves getting up early and experiencing that stillness and calm as it makes him feel prepared for the day ahead. When he is rushing out the door, his whole day is just frazzled.
I’ve recently created a morning routine (that has become my psychic anchor) that nurtures me and is part of my “I’m learning to love myself” project. I get up, go for a 45 min jog, then do a series of yoga stretches and salutes to the sun at home, then I meditate for however long feels right. Then I shower, make a pot of white tea, make a delicious breakky, then sit down to read your gorgeous column and all the other internety things I do, before getting ready for a day at uni. Am loving it so far and I feel so anchored for the rest of the day
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Audrey Hepburn is credited with saying “I have to be alone very often. I’d be quite happy if I spent from Saturday night until Monday morning alone in my apartment. That’s how I refuel.” When I worked full-time from Monday to Friday this was my anchor.
Now that I”m freelance (or free-range) I use my times of coffee with friends and chats with family, to anchor myself. I thought I’d love my extra aloneness, but I lost my way for a bit.
The complexity of being an outgoing introvert… or shy extrovert… As life changes, and it does, you need to be ready to change your anchor.
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September 2nd, 2011 at 6:14 am
I’m with Audrey on that one! And I also love your “outgoing introvert/shy extrovert”…i really relate. Me-time is definitely recharge time.
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I love my alone time. I dont know how the introvert/ extrovert thing works, because I seem to be quite energised by being around people for quite a good while, then all of a sudden I reach my limit and bam! I’m the Phantom, Im gone. Kaiser Soze.
My anchor tends to be writing, but I like to freestyle it. Sometimes in the morning, sometimes as night, sometimes I do Morning Pages, sometimes I write lists of limiting beliefs, sometimes I just whinge. Sometimes I write drunk, edit sober. Sometimes I write in my car while I am sitting on the beach watching surfers, sometimes I park my car somewhere pretty and watch the storms. I do keep meaning to get into a routine with the thing, but I never seem to last long before inspiration strikes in a weird place and throws it out!
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Thank you for the morning reminder… ive lost my routine and anchor point and thus feeling ‘jangled’. wil start afresh tomorrow x
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How do I know I need an anchor or what it is? I know that there are things I crave to do when I feel cluttered, like swimming or ice hockey. Is that what we’re talking about here?
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Erroneously I once thought that Retirement out to time-rich pastures meant that a structured start to the day was mine forever. Not so. It seems even harder, if that is possible. So much freedom means an overwhelming range of options and choices.
I have no thyroid so I have to take a daily tablet clear of food intake. I have only today tried to adjust the timing of this so that I don’t wake every few hours at night wondering if it’s time yet. I set the tablet alarm for six, somehow awoke at 7. Walked in the country fresh air until 8 and then cooked breakfast. I simultaneously felt in charge of my day and recharged.
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Over the last month, my work with (predominantly Muslim) asylum seekers has introduced me to Ramadan, and while I am no convert to the religion, their ritual of fasting and fast-breaking is something I have thought we could benefit from in our own culture. I mean at very least, the experience of going without gives one’s taste-buds a whole new appreciation of food, to say nothing of the spiritual benefits. But then we do have an equivalent don’t we, at least in name? Making it a daily ritual as well? Definitely a fan. Just a pity about those rolling shifts in my case.
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My morning routine is important for me too. I let the dog out and watch him run around the backyard while I made breakfast, no pop tarts or cereal going on over here! Then we sit on the couch and eat (yes, the dog always gets a few bites too) as I read blogs and go through my email. Starts my day in quiet, contemplative, relaxation.
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I think mornings work – for me at any rate – because they are the only part of the day that can’t be regularly hijacked by someone else or something else. Not so many demands on your time at 5am as at 12 noon…
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For me My morning routine is essential. I don’t where I would be with out… I have my radio alarm on, listen to a bit of music and the latest news. Then I wake up and take my self to the kitchen my kingdom and my relaxing place. I prepare some nice yoghurt with a banana and some cereals. Wile I eat it I contemplate the outside and think of the day a head than slowly walk towards the shower. It takes me around an hour to get ready and to go to work… I think I could never live with out this routine. Which on the weekends changes… it becomes more lazy and what I eat is based on what I feel and want… Is indulging day on Sunday. I love the morning because with out them I would not be able to do and cope with all the things that are around me.
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Love it Sarah.. My morning – Soon after waking and boiling water for hot lemon, putting on tunes and lighting an insense, the next step is the beach (just across the road). My best anchor is the beach.It may be a physical workout, a cruisy walk, or standing or sitting in awe of the view.
Breakfast (generally fruit and yoghurt or acai) is later – no rush – often w myself and me – sometimes at home – sometimes at fave cafe – sometimes back at the beach – in the sun whenever possible.
I love the picture and story of “our man”. I would happily spend time with him sitting w breakfast and tunes and twist my arm for a margarita and just go with the flow with him!
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September 3rd, 2011 at 5:22 pm
Kerry…I know where you eat! I know your order! I know your beach! You’re not alone! x
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September 8th, 2011 at 6:39 am
Ha ha!……..yes we are often on the same path!
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I love the launchpad visual .. it is so important to start the day with the right intention and ritual(s) .. finding the right flavour for your day. I wrote about this recently and had a huge response with people sharing their morning rituals .. from how they wake, to what they eat, exercise, hugs and smiles. Meditation is my sacred commitment in the morning. Taking a moment to just ‘check in’ with self, sort the ‘internal mail’, clear the deck for some clarity and achor to that internal smile and joy that sets the tone for the day. Perfect.
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Dear Adam,
Your question grabbed my attention. Simply, I think you found your routine a long time ago. It’s second nature and you don’t need to be consciously reminding yourself of it. An Anchor point? I like that! Call it what you will though, any activity (you swim, I go to my favourite coffee shop) that let’s you forget the ongoing worries of the day.
We would both be a little grumpy if we went to our respective Anchors’ and they disappeared; “Off course Matey, Arrh…Now we’re’s me leg?!”
The day I ask a question like yours, is the day I have found – and lived – a well-balanced routine. And a little more peace
Well done!
Best Regards
James
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Dear All, I’ve been reading good ol’ Hunter since his Rolling Stone days and with his Gonzo journalism he is basically making it up(especially about the drug and alchohol consumption) , as normal journalism ‘telling it like it is’ was a bit boring for him.Basically the guy was an artistic liar….
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I know that I need a permanent anchor in my life too. Breakfast ain’t it for me as I have the ‘hangover’ effect of my nighttime meds getting in the way of anything remotely like a psychic or spiritual anchor. If anything, I get it from burying myself away with a good book somewhere.
If anything, my real anchor at the moment is, of all things, doing stand-up comedy classes. A group of misfits with a varied collection of mental health issues, making each other laugh, learning how to make others laugh, bonding, all under the tutelage of working comic and therapist, Marie Helou. As I have been going through a pretty tough patch lately, this has proven an aboslute God-send. And it is helping me towards a goal I had given up on ever attaining.
As for Hunter – I have been reading his stuff for years – he’s one of the those writers that when I read him, I get sh*tty as anything, wishing I could write that damn well.
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Hi Sarah,
I printed Hunter’s pic’ to hang in my kitchen. Unlike Mr. Thompson, I prefer company for breakfast!
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Oh, how this speaks to me. I am exactly this way, except I like to eat breakfast between the hours of 5 and 7 a.m. (I try and rise at the same time every day) and I eat the same thing almost every day. I call it my “happy breakfast”, because it makes my brain and my belly joyful. I am not ready for the day until I have eaten breakfast, and this one in particular. I love when it’s still dark out, and I have my steaming cup of strong sencha tea and I feel as though the world is mine; I am the only one awake. It’s my sanctuary.
There was a time when I would diligently run before anything else, eat afterwards, and scramble to get ready for the day. But after a while I fell out of this routine and “lost myself” a bit. I was groping for the anchor. Your post is so timely because I have just recently found it again, in my pre-dawn breakfast ritual.
I have a question for you: Do you find that when you change up your morning routine, you feel a little lost at first?
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Nice foot, long toes, comfortably planted – would this foot belong to Jennifer Aniston dinner date man by any chance?? LOL
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Hunter S Thompson and gonzo journalism is so far removed from what you stand for that I think its a joke that you would reference him at all. I would suggest that you stay true to yourself as I would imagine that you never have had a wisky before breakfast or greeted somebody at your front door with a double barrel. I’m actually quite offended that you would use his name shamelessly unless you have a sound knowledge of the beat generation poets or have lived that particular lifestyle which I very much doubt.
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September 4th, 2011 at 5:00 pm
Ah Jason, you think all pain, all torment comes with the same expression? You think I’ve always been a clean living type? You think there’s not a reason for it?
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There’s a full hour and a half between waking and saying goodbye to my house for me. I get the water boiling, pick a song on youtube to dance to, stretch, cook some creamy porridge oats and get dressed. I never thought of it as a ritual before, though I guess it is. It kinda just fell into place, all my favourite things in perfect order.
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[...] Sarah Wilson found a great article about Hunter S Thompson’s rigorous, riotous breaskfast requirements. I’ve always loved his writing, but never much fancied living with the guy, what with the whole ranch-in-the-middle-of-nowhere-filled-with-guns-dynamite-and-crazy-people asethetic he had going on. But this is the kind of breakfast I’d be willing to make a lifestyle change for. [...]
I cannot stand Hunter S Thompson. I hate everything he stands for. I wont take advice from an addict.
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[...] for routine came from this excerpt Sarah Wilson found: “I like to eat breakfast alone, and almost never before noon; anybody with a terminally [...]
Hola Sarah,
I loved your (numerous) posts on starting days on the right foot and wonderful morning routines. I feel like mine is now downpat, consistent and effortless; I’ll wake up early, happy and smiley, do everything good for me (stretch, cardio, green tea and write) and feel motivated for the day ahead, regardless of what it may hold. However, I really struggle with my end of day routine. Personally, after dinner is the most tempting time to eat something (or several things) naughty, feel anxious about things that wouldn’t normally bother me, and do useless stuff like mindlessly watch TV. Its the absolute opposite of morning me. Not to mention the hours it takes me to get to sleep because I cant get the chatter in my mind to be silent. It would be really great to see a post on the wonderful evening routines of yours and others.
Thanks for caring.
P.S. Fantastic Blog! It’s honestly and truly changed my life and the lives of many other I’ve turned onto you. Best of luck with your new anti sugar e-book. I will most def pick up a copy.
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[...] Wilson wrote about Hunter’s routine in a positive light, however she had a [...]
[...] very interested in the daily schedules of writers. I’m very interested in the routine within writers’ mornings. And I’m VERY interested in where writers write. The below image is of super-successful [...]