This morning I attended a 6:30 am class at a gym I’ve been going to for years. I love this place. It is always challenging, and always feels like home. I’ve been attending 8 am or later classes lately, as the thought of getting up early to get somewhere, before the sun is up, is so unappealing. But it’s one of those things that seems unappealing, until you do it, when you realize it is so clearly the opposite. On the short drive there this morning, I saw all the people who’d gotten up at that hour to run or walk their dogs, or themselves, in the early morning cold air, before the day had gotten away from them, taking the opportunity with it, and I thought: YES! And I was glad I’d decided to join them in this ritual of exercise-first-thing (although to be clear I had a coffee before leaving the house - mandatory). The class was a strong dose of needed energy, complete with many squats and loud music and camaraderie.

Exercise is one of the things I decided I would do daily this holiday season, because the affect it has on the rest of my day is so clearly positive, and this is especially true when I do it in the morning. Not only does it make me feel physically and mentally better, but then I’m not thinking about how I wish I’d gotten it in over and over, as the hours slip away. Even a brisk dog walk fits the bill here. Something to ward me against that moment when I see the first holiday card come through our mail slot, and I am overjoyed to open it and see the smiling faces of people I love, before I think about the fact that I have not even begun the process of creating a holiday card, and wonder, should I even this year? and then decide yes, and then decide no, and then decide YES I WILL, and start browsing designs and die from decision fatigue before I’m five minutes in. But the thing is, the very great thing, is that I exercised, and those endorphins are still pumping, and I can check that accomplishment off my list, at least.