So, let me just get this out of the way. My new year has sucked. Like nothing bad has happened... at all, really. I count my blessings because with 5 people in a nuclear family, there is high likelihood of catastrophe at any given point. And I definitely have some friends who have already been through the wringer before January is even over. So, I guess I'm saying that this is silly for me to feel this way, and I acknowledge it and I aim to move past it, but it's where I am. 2014 has thus far been the year of suck.
One of the reasons is that I really intended to get a grip on my life and what I'm doing and where I'm going. There are lots of reasons that I won't go into, but the short of it is that I have many loose strings that I am certain could be the beautiful bow on top of a much-needed gift to the world and humanity if only I could figure out how to tie them all up.
I have not yet been successful. And I know what you're thinking... 2014 just started. You have the whole year to tie them up. That's the point, right? Yes. It is. It's the year to tie them up. But little impatient me wanted to tie them up at least enough to have a plan for the beautiful bow by now.
Kind of like... I wanted to at least have googled "How to make a beautiful bow out of all your scraps of string" and to have scoured all the e-hows and instructables so that I could move forward with the actual crafting. But I have barely sat down to open up my browser.
And what, you ask, does this have to do with morning luxury?
Well, this is my one success story, so I share it here.
One of my epiphanies was that I need to have tangible rewards for the behaviors that I seek to change. One of those is to enjoy exercise more. I already exercise 3 times a week, but I wanted to change my attitude toward it, so I started eating one small square of some amazing chocolate that I won in dirty Santa at Christmas. It has significantly increased my desire to exercise, and surprisingly, I haven't found every other excuse to eat it in the meantime.
Another habit that I wanted to reestablish was that of waking up and spending time reading the Bible and praying. I haven't had this habit for ... oh, 7 years. It's really been since Ashlyn was born that I haven't had any kind of consistency with daily faith experiences. I mean, Christ is my life, so I absolutely would think about him or shoot some prayers his direction here and there throughout the day, but I'm not a surface-type person. I'm a dig deep and explore kind of person, and so it was frustrating that I wasn't having those moments consistently. I also find that time to be a grounding as I go about my day. It reminds me of the truths I believe and when I get stuck in a rut of selfishness, it jerks me back to reality that everyone else is just as precious as I am, and that in no way undermines my worth, it only testifies to the vastness of love.
So, I needed a reward because Heaven knows that waking up early is not my strong suit.
With no further ado, here's the 4-step process of how I get to have morning luxury for a one-time fee of $6.
1. Sell a high-priced item on eBay. I sold Rosetta Stone, which I've since found out is illegal. So, maybe try something else. You will earn almost $15 in eBay credits. If your buyer flakes out and doesn't pay like mine does, you will still have your product and eBay will not take away your credits. I found this to be very considerate of them.
2. Buy a 1-cup coffee maker on eBay 3 months later when your reward bucks are valid. I did hours of research for you, and I've found that the best one for the luxury of a porcelain mug is by a brand I've never heard of. You might be hesitant to go with something you've never heard of, but it will be worth it. Hundreds of reviews can't be wrong, and besides I have it and can vouch for it. On eBay it will actually be $3 more expensive, but remember... you have $15 of credit.
3. Set up the coffee maker in in your master bathroom. Also, be sure to get everything prepared the night before you want to use it, or else it kind of defeats the purpose. If you don't drink coffee... #1. What's wrong with you? and #2. This is not quite hot enough to dissolve your hot chocolate, but it will brew a tea bag instead.
4. Enjoy coffee (or tea or lumpy hot chocolate) in your nice warm bed while reading under your cozy blankets.
Bonus step: If you have a reliable digital outlet timer, you can set it to start brewing about 7 minutes before you want to get out of bed. I tried this with an analog timer, and it was not accurate enough to be worth it, so now I just get up and turn the machine off while my alarm snoozes.
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