Hettie was a baby when the Titanic sank, dabbled in flapper fashion as a teenager, married just as the Great Depression kicked off, worked a farm with her husband through World War 2, and lived to witness the dawn of the internet age and the tragedy of 9/11. She experienced the terms of 17 US Presidents, from William Taft to George W Bush (including the term of her 3rd cousin, LBJ, of which connection she had no idea during her lifetime!) To her, these major world events were just background noise to her story of a quiet life spent with her hands in the dirt, raising food, flowers and children.

I was blessed to spend time with her and hear many of her stories. Like the one where, as a teenager, she was seated next to Lucille Ball on a train. Being the same age, they became fast friends for the duration of the journey. As Grandma told it, Lucy valiantly tried to talk my grandma into going with her to pursue her fame and fortune as an actress, but Hettie was invested in her own life back home in Idaho.

Grandma Hettie didn’t just tell us her stories, she also wrote many of them down. I treasure a manila envelope containing copies of these stories, written in her own handwriting. Many of them sound a lot more like “Little House in the Prairie” than anything resembling today! Here’s a recollection Hettie wrote about the journey of her life:

When I look back, on today’s standards of living, I was raised in poverty. It amazes me how my parents managed to feed and clothe 4 children. Dad rented a farm, usually 40 acres. With just a team of horses, he could not have managed more. I remember he raised a large garden, probably an acre, and sold fresh produce in summer to the grocery stores. He raised hogs and when things got tough he would take one to town and sell it to the Butcher shop. We always had plenty to eat. Not fancy food, but nourishing. Lots of dry beans and potatoes. We usually had a few new clothes and shoes and stockings to start school. Mother made all of my and her clothes, plus shirts for Dad and the boys. I can remember by spring our shoes looked bad. One year I wore cardboard inside mine for weeks to finish school, then we went barefoot. But we were happy and I am sure we were loved even though it was never said or demonstrated.

When I was 18, I was married. Life took on meaning from then on. It was Sept 1, 1929. The Depression was starting. We had a hard time till about 1942. Things began to look better but not good. After Franklin Roosevelt was elected president, there was a lot of changes. People looked happier and had more to look forward to.

When I was 25 years old we had our 3rd child. We now had 2 daughters and one son and the challenge of raising them. Those were happy and skimpy years. In 1942 (February) we moved to Buhl and were happier than when we lived in Rupert. But we still had a hard time making a living. The first 40 acre farm was very poor and not much of a house, but we did not have much furniture anyhow.

Then we rented a better 40 acre farm. From there, on New Years day 1944, we moved to the 80 acre farm. We had skimped to make the $1,000 farm payment. We both worked the first 2 winters to make a living. We worked in the Bean House. I picked beans, Arthur worked in the warehouse. We got the farm for $9000, but it was many years before we paid it off.

The girls and Gene [her kids] and I picked potatoes every fall. I picked for 6 weeks most years and helped pay bills. In the spring, I cut potatoes for 2 or 3 weeks. The years on the farm were hard but enjoyable. Then one by one the children grew up and left home and we were left alone to farm the 80 acres. In the winter of 1967 we rented the farm and moved into town. A different kind of life, but more profitable. We both worked and were able to buy some things for the home that we never could before, such as color TV, washer and dryer, deep freeze, new table and chairs, bed room set, stereo and start to save a little money. But the farm was a good place to raise our family.

Eventually, Hettie and Arthur moved to Arizona to be close to one of their daughters. They celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary before Arthur passed away, and Hettie went to be with him a couple years later. She remained bright and mentally sharp until the end.

A full life, spanning nearly a century. My personal link to events and family member’s lives that are now approaching almost 200 years in the past. My connection to a time when life was manual and materially austere, but also real and deeply engaged.

When I read Grandma Hettie’s stories, I am struck by the level of detail she noticed and remembered. In her story about her family’s move to Idaho when she was barely 7 years old, she recalled every aspect of the journey, including the details of which food they ate on which day, and the emotions everybody was experiencing:

We came to Idaho in the Early Spring of 1918, by train. We kids were very excited about the trip. The last two days and nights we spent with Grandma and Grandpa Butler, mom’s parents.

The day we were to leave, Grandma and my three aunts and mother were very busy fixing us a lunch to take along. We were to be on the train three days and three nights. In those days there were no lunch cars. They fried chicken for the first day, made jelly and apple butter sandwiches, cake and pickles for day two and three. We kids were always hungry and mother warned us we had to make the food last. The last morning we were down to cake and pickles for breakfast. I don’t think Mom and Dad ate very much trying to save it for us four hungry kids.

After a tearful goodbye, we had to travel by horse and wagon about eight miles to get to the train, which left about dark. My uncle Neeley took us and he had to return after dark. We were waiting for the train and when I saw the big, big lights and noisy engine coming at us, I was so frightened I ran and grabbed Dad by both legs. My brother George was scared and crying. We were sure it was going to run over us. We had never seen a train before this.

We were all happy to get to Rupert Idaho and be met by Uncle William, also a wagon drawn by horses. When we got to his home, Aunt Winnie and several cousins were waiting to welcome us with a big pot of navy beans, mashed potatoes, corn bread and peach cobbler. Did we ever enjoy the feast! Mom and Dad really enjoyed the hot coffee she served them. After not having any for three days, it was a treat for them.

By contrast, my memories from the age of seven are brief snatches of vague moments in time. I couldn’t tell you exactly what I ate for any significant meal or which uncle drove us where, in what type of vehicle. Perhaps this is because modern life bombards us with so many ideas and experiences that aren’t even ours that we lose touch with our own lives. Our brains can only hold so much. When we spend hours a day filling our minds with everything happening to everybody else around the world, through social media and 24/7 access to the news, YouTube, podcasts, etc., those things can steal our presence and attention from the very real world at our fingertips.

Hettie’s life was small and insignificant to the wider world, but it was everything to her. She really lived it, noticed it, cherished it and took time to preserve it for future generations to look back on and appreciate. I love that this woman—without whom, I would not exist—continues to offer me a legacy of wisdom even decades after her passing.

Her very present life. Her passion for the small, tangible things that brought her joy. In closing, here is how Hettie felt about flowers:

I started raising roses after we bought our farm. Arthur got a special one each year for me for Mothers Day, and I really loved them but fought quack grass all spring and summer. One day, Dale, my son-in-law asked me why I worked so hard in my flowers. After thinking for a while I told him it was good for my soul. I could be feeling blue and sad because my grandchildren were all so far away, also my children. After an hour among my flowers I always felt better.

By 7:30 or 8 am, the birds have begun to simmer down, but the squirrels are just picking up steam. They skitter from tree to tree and across my yard, gathering food and nesting materials. Later in the day, when the sun is blazing, the squirrels disappear for a while to rest in the shade. They reemerge and get to work again in the early evening when we are eating dinner out on the deck. Nobody has to formally teach them “productivity hacks,” or routines–they just intuitively harmonize their lifestyles with the rhythms of the sun and Earth. They don’t experience the misfortune of living in a society that obfuscates or circumvents their natural alignment with nature.

What about us?

It’s undeniable that modern human culture actively strives to disconnect our lifestyles from our biological moorings. Many jobs demand our presence indoors from morning to evening, often on screens, and sequestered away from the sun from which we are designed to receive powerful signals that guide our energetic output and regulate important hormones such as cortisol, melatonin, serotonin and vitamin D. Artificial lighting at night seduces us to extend our days beyond what is beneficial for us, causing us to neglect our need for a gradual wind-down into satisfying, restorative sleep. Many of us are too sedentary, feeling that we don’t have the time or energy or spend on movement for its own sake. Online and digital distractions relentlessly aim to consume every last “free” hour that we have left, robbing us of the space and time we need to truly care for ourselves.

I think most of us recognize the problems with our present society–we’ve been living it! We’re exhausted by it. We want to know if it’s possible to break free from this artificial and overbearing lifestyle being pushed on us from all sides and tap into something real. I think it is, and it may be more attainable than we realize.

Sometimes a little deliberate observation gives us all the guidance we need. When I started paying attention, I realized that the rhythms of Mother Nature and my body were both clearly guiding me on how to respect my needs as a human being. It started with recognizing and honoring the morning rhythms inherent to my life.

Sunlight

As I shared in this piece, sunlight is an essential pillar in the construction of our biological architecture. We were designed to live in sync with the sun, and can’t flourish if we don’t intentionally engage with her. She provides the anchor for our entire energy cycle. In the morning, we awaken just as our spinning globe ushers us back into her presence. That is our cue to go say “hello, again!”

For our ancestors, spending time in the sunlight when they first awoke wasn’t a question. They emerged from their dark, unlit shelters, and there she was. She was their only light source, and their constant companion as they went about their days.

Spending at least 10-20 minutes in unfiltered sunlight (no sunglasses) every morning is an authentic need, like eating or taking a shower. You won’t thrive if you don’t make time for it. You don’t have to just sit there if you don’t want to–you could take a walk, weed a flower bed or play with the dog. Doing that would help you meet your body’s need for both morning sunlight and movement within the same 20 minutes!

Movement

Along with observing morning sunlight, movement signals to our bodies that it’s time to be awake and active. I used to shame myself for not being the type of person who wakes up and rushes to the gym for a vigorous 6 am work-out session, but that’s honestly just not what my body is ready to accomplish right after waking up. It’s great if your energy ramps up that quickly, but it’s also fine to need to ease into your day a bit more. What kind of movement do you want to do in the morning? Listen to your body! I find that I just want to walk or stretch or do some light rebounding to get my blood flowing and reinforce my commitment to a “movement-friendly lifestyle.” If you do your morning movement outside in the morning sunlight, you’ve just activated a doubly-powerful lever to boost your energy and regulate your energy for the rest of your day!

Water

After sleeping all night, we wake up mildly dehydrated. We have been losing water through respiration and perspiration (or “glistening” if you prefer) for several hours without replenishing it. Morning is our time to rehydrate from the night and even front-load hydration for the rest of the day. (Front-loading hydration is helpful for making sure that we drink most of our daily water by late afternoon / early evening so as not to disrupt sleep later!) I’m working on finishing off at least one big cup of water before I lay into my hot tea and cream.

Nourishment

Morning is the best possible time to eat some nourishing food. Besides providing yet another signal to our bodies (along with sunlight and movement) that it’s time to increase our alertness and energy, eating in the morning takes advantage of our body’s peak window for insulin sensitivity and digestive function. It also fuels our mental clarity and mood for the incoming golden hours for deep work. Being sure to include protein helps with satiety and balanced blood sugar. After years (decades?) of skipping breakfast, I have recently begun to reintroduce this habit back into my morning, and I have noted how even a small and simple meal of–for example, cheese, nuts and fruit–along with my morning tea increases my alertness and energy.

Deep Work

After we’ve slept well and fully woken up with sunlight, movement, water and nourishment, our bodies are ready to get to work. From roughly 9 am to noon (give or take an hour) is the interval of time when we are most alert and optimized to focus deeply on our most strenuous cognitive tasks. This focus and energy will take a little nosedive in the afternoon after lunch, before rising again (into a slightly lower peak) in the later afternoon and early evening. For those of us who have any sort of control over the arrangement of our daily tasks, this is vital awareness to have as we think through how to designate our time. I am working on being intentional about protecting my golden focus hours for the deepest work I want to accomplish. It’s not always possible, but I have really noticed how much more mentally focused I feel in those morning hours, then say, 2 pm!

Just a few adjustments

With a little intentional creativity, we can choose to harmonize our lifestyles with the healthy rhythms that morning naturally sustains. It comes down to these few meaningful priorities:

1. Wake up at a consistent time everyday and spend twenty minutes in the morning sunlight.

2. Move in a way that feels good to you for twenty minutes. #1 and #2 can be the same twenty minutes!

3. Drink a big cup of water.

4. Eat something nourishing, including some protein.

5. Whenever possible, take advantage of your golden hours for your deepest work.

A few months ago, when I decided to start waking up consistently early (for me) every morning after living as a night owl for most of my life, I fully expected to meet some internal resistance. To my surprise, that never really happened! After I got past the initial adjustment period, I haven’t even been tempted to revert back to my old ways. I’ve found that doing these things feels easy because they are what my body was specifically designed to do. I legitimately want to do them, because I have experienced how much better they make me feel. If you are currently struggling to embrace your mornings, I hope you’ll give these practices a try! Whether you believe it or not right now, you and your morning were designed for each other.

Night, however, seemed like an open expanse of peace and freedom where nobody would demand anything. The moonlight hours granted the space to move slowly without judgement, to introvert fully, and to read and reflect without interruption. Admittedly, that frequently meant ignoring my body’s physical urge for sleep, but the heart-tug toward spiritual renewal usually won out.

And then something changed

Maybe, as I entered my forties, my authentic need for sleep became more undeniable. Maybe also, I began to realize that–somewhere along the way–the mental and spiritual refreshment I had been seeking during the wee hours had lost its potency. Years of insufficient sleep had drained away the reserves I used to tap into for my nighttime second wind. I realized that shallow scrolling on my phone had replaced reading books or other reflective content. Though I was still living under the illusion that I needed the late-night hours for my necessary introvert “me time,” they had long since ceased to renew my spirit.

Finding the missing piece

Learning more about my body’s circadian rhythm was an “a-ha” moment for me. According to Dr. Satchin Panda, in his book “The Circadian Code,” (I recommend this book if you want to go deeper on this topic!) it is very rare to have a genetic preference for being a night owl. Most night owls fall into that pattern by becoming habitually disconnected from the natural rhythm we are designed to be anchored by.

Our body’s natural rhythms are controlled by light exposure, as well as the timing of our mealtimes and the amount of movement we engage in every day. As Dr Panda states: “The circadian clock is the internal timing system that interacts with the timing of light and food to produce our daily rhythms. Our job is to maintain the clock so we can live with optimal health.”

It turns out that going outside in the sunlight first thing in the morning isn’t just some inspirational trope that would be “nice to do”. Our bodies authentically need us to view unfiltered sunlight (obviously, not looking directly at the sun) first thing in the morning to suppress melatonin (the sleep hormone) and cue cortisol (the alertness hormone). Our bodies also use this early light exposure to set a timer for melatonin to reemerge roughly 14-16 hours later. So, morning sunlight controls both wakefulness and the ability to sleep later that night.

Even on a cloudy day, indoor lighting just doesn’t compare to the sun’s light waves. We need to be outside for 10-20 minutes, depending on how bright the morning is, within 30-60 minutes of waking, for this essential anchor-point to take hold.

We also need to be extremely consistent. The circadian rhythm is not a flexible system. The rhythms of night and day operate on a perpetual 24-hour clock, and the circadian rhythm’s job is to keep us living in alignment with that. She hates it when we switch up our bedtimes and wake times! Doing that regularly is a sure way to feel like we are always experiencing jetlag.

At first blush, taking the time to greet the sun every morning might seem inconvenient. The demands the world places on mornings are very real. But slogging through the day with impaired energy and suffering insomnia at night when our melatonin doesn’t kick in properly is also pretty inconvenient, as I well know!

How it began

A few months ago, I decided to experiment with picking a regular wake-up time and sticking to it, weekends included. I chose 6:45 am, because that was about when sunrise was at that time. Until then, my bedtime had been hovering between 1-2 am (and sometimes later!) depending on the night, and wake-up was between 7:30 am on weekdays and *as late as possible* on weekends (as I attempted to “catch up” on sleep from the deficit of the previous week), so I can tell you that the 6:45 am wake-up call was not automatically an easy adjustment! I suffered through a few days of transition, while my body learned to balance my new waking hour with a corresponding earlier bedtime.

After the first 3-4 days of catching morning sunlight around 7 am, I began getting reliably tired enough between 9-11 pm to fall asleep. (Due to life and teenagers, bedtime is usually at the tail end of that range, but I try to practice a gradual wind-down during those hours. More on that in a future post!)

How it’s going

I have not yet missed a single day of my 6:45 wake-up time, and that is mostly because I legitimately don’t want to. I often wake up before my alarm has a chance to sound. I get out of bed, freshen up, and head out to the back deck with my glass of water and the dog. While she does her thing, I am allowed to just sit and be. I drink my water and listen to the birds. Some days, I only have time for 10 or 15 minutes, but when I’m able, I sit outside for an hour or more and read or journal and take advantage of that needed introvert-time. (Morning introvert-time is on another level if you can manage it! Who knew that it helps to be awake!)

I still experience fatigue after a long and busy day, but I no longer drag myself through my mornings from the moment I wake up. Mornings are now dependably my most energetic time. I find myself wishing they could be longer!

Early weekend mornings were probably the biggest revelation: I had no idea how uplifting it is to wake up early on a Saturday morning and spend extra time outside with just the dog, the birds and the woodsy critters, always eager to start their days. (You’ll never see any of them dragging around!) My husband and I now often go out early on Saturday mornings to the farmer’s market, or the park, to get a walk in before the Texas summer’s heat turns oppressive. We go out, have an adventure, and return, all by the time we would have just been rolling out of bed a few months ago.

Now that I’ve experienced living with a morning sunlight wake-up call, I definitely won’t be going back to my artificial and dysregulated sleeping patterns of the past. I’ve been truly, deeply converted.