“The Golden Hour”…it is not just for photographers. The golden hour that I speak of is not that small window of perfect sunlight that captures the most precious of family photos. No, this golden hour is for moms (and dads, and caretakers alike). It is the small window of opportunity that we get to take advantage of before those precious little munchkins wake up in the morning or go to bed at night.
I never knew the importance of the golden hour before I started utilizing it, and after I gave it up for a little more sleep.
As mothers I feel like we often lose all sense of time every now and again. We also lose ourselves in the daily grind of diapers and packing lunches, school drop off and pickup, cleaning up messes and naptimes, paying bills and doing grocery store pickup. Before we know it, it is bedtime and we are spent. Our minds are still reeling at lightspeed and we truly do not know what we did all day and where all the time went. If we did a good job or maybe missed a few special moments along the way while we were engulfed in the grind of the day. We lay our weary and tired bodies down in bed hopeful for another new day ahead.
A lot of us still have hopes for our big dreams, that book we want to finish, the journal we want to write in, or the nails we want to paint. But when!? When do we find time to do all of the things that are still important to us and make us who we are, so we can maintain sight of who we were meant to be for ourselves and our family? That is where the golden hour comes into play. The smell of fresh coffee brewing, the fresh air of the open sliding glass door, the stillness (and cleanliness) of the house, the uninterrupted devotional or news headlines, the gratitude journal, or that workout…whatever drives you, motivates you, pushes you to be that person that you love and adore and stare at in the mirror every day.
Everyone’s golden hour will most likely look different. While one mommas golden hour may start at 4:30 am, another mommas may start at 9, others at 8 pm. I have found that mine fluctuates and often needs adjusted. Sometimes the golden hour is interrupted and becomes the golden 15 minutes while other times the golden hour becomes the golden 2 hours. One thing I do know is that the golden hour is a special time devoted to you and only you, to clear your head and fuel your soul for the day ahead.
I will be honest. I was in a long drawn out rut. My golden hour was no more. I wanted extra sleep. I hit the snooze 5 times. I rolled out of bed when I was startled by the garage door opening from my husband returning from his 5:15 am workout. I thought that getting more sleep would get me through the day without fighting off a nap at 2:00. What I found was that sleep is not always rest.
Getting back into the groove and taking advantage of the golden hour, this time to myself, is going to be my daily goal. To refresh and reset. To slow down and just “be” before the mayhem of another day commences. You may even find that you enjoy getting up early. That you can’t wait for your kids to get up. That you actually have more energy than you did when you slept longer. A clear mind, a happy joyful soul, and a full heart are a beautiful way to start (or end) your day, making you a more mindful, patient, and peaceful momma. Do it for them, but most importantly, do it for YOU!
