The Art of a Slow Morning

There is no need to leap from bed as though the day were an emergency. For seventy-eight years I have begun my mornings the same way: the kettle first, then the window opened a crack to hear the birds, then a few quiet minutes with nothing asked of me at all.

The modern world would have you believe that a morning must be conquered. I have found the opposite to be true. A morning that is met gently gives itself back to you, hour upon unhurried hour. Warm the pot. Let the tea steep longer than you think you should. Watch the light change on the wall.

Begin slowly, and the whole day follows.