First

9 Qudrat 163 B.E. - November 12, 2006

“What is the first thing you do of a morning?” This is the question asked myself this morning. The obvious answer, of course, is get out of bed, but this isn’t what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the spiritual actions that are necessary to begin the day. Precisely what got me to thinking about this and looking at my morning actions, I’m not sure. Maybe it was the change in my attitude or mood yesterday.

Yesterday, November 11 (8 Qudrat), I woke up between 2:00 and 2:30 a.m. Now I’ve got to admit that getting out of bed and struggling across a cold tile floor to turn the heat up isn’t conducive to sleep. It’s an awakening experience to say the least. Anyway the clock in the living room read 2:30 when I finally arrived in that room and turned the light on, so I must have actually woke up at 2:00 a.m.

When I get up the early I normally shoo a cat off the divan, sit down and wrap myself in a blanket until the house heats up, but yesterday I did something different. I opened my prayer book and said prayers. I have given myself the goal of saying ten or eleven specific prayer during a single twenty-four hour period. Yesterday I had said ten of those prayers before noon. My mood the rest of the day was positive and I felt joyous.

This morning I woke up between 3:00 and 3:30 a.m. I don’t have a clock by my bed so I’m not really sure what time I wake up of a morning. So far this morning, I’ve said two of the prayers and one of them last night before going to bed. Since I plan my life around a solar day, which is from sunset to sunset, this puts the first prayer I said last night in the goal for 9 Qudrat. The other seven or eight prayers I will say or rather read before sunset this evening.

I would rather spread the prayers out over the day. However, sometimes I get distracted with stuff and forget to stop what I’m doing and take a prayer break. After yesterday’s experience though I’m going to attempt to take the breaks at times other then just noon, about the time I say the short obligatory prayer.