I know re-rhythming isn’t a real word, but I am a Mongrain, and we have our family dictionary. I’ll add this to it:
Finding life’s rhythm after a busy season, burnout or sickness. A reasonable baseline in life: wake up, eat, exercise, work-life balance, spend time with God, bed before dawn.
It sounds like a good definition to me, but the idea sounded impossible for many years, even as I began the ‘cocoon years*, ’ which is what I’ve decided to call this last season of life.
I began taking courses to help me figure out exactly how to find that rhythm. I read great books by some wise people, but it still felt … just out of reach.
And then the unthinkable happened: I asked God for help.
I know this next part will sound bizarre. You may be asking how God chose to answer my prayer.
He woke me up around 5:30 am every morning, without an alarm clock. It didn’t seem to matter when I went to bed.
Bing! My eyes would pop open and, without looking at the clock, I would know the time.
If I laid in bed long enough, staying still, I could fall back asleep, but after enough time and a few conversations with the Creator, I clued in. I changed my routine and would get up when I woke up. Now, I go to bed with the expectation of the 5:30 am wake-up call.
Over the years, there have been a few people in my life that I have looked up to, leaders along the way and friends I’ve wanted to emulate. When I asked them for secrets to their success, they would often say that they were early risers. I hate to admit it, but I met this answer with a bit of teasing and an “I could never do that!” And I meant it.
Now, I am one of those people, and I treasure those hours before the sun comes up. Re-rhythming to the beat of a new drum.
* To read more about the ‘cocoon years’ here are a few previous blog posts and the post that started it all Cocooned – August 27, 2020
Charity Mongrain Consulting 