ESSAY | Morning
I was on my way to work this morning — driving down the rolling country road heading towards the highway when I saw it. The sun, in its magnificent glory, making a grand entrance over my shoulder. To my right the north woods are thick with trees, although bare this time of year, offering a clear view.
After the many cloudy days we’ve had, I smiled to see the vibrant orange ball radiating light and possibility. “Look boys, look! Look at the beautiful sun. I love the morning.”, I say aloud as though it’s the first time I’ve ever experienced it.
I’ve loved the morning for as long as I can remember. I come from a family of (mostly) early risers and as a kid I was always the first one up. I felt the magic then, cozy under the warm covers while the rest of the house slept. Waiting, just waiting for sounds of life as others began to stir.
After a good patch of missing mornings as a late teen, I happily adopted my morning schedule again in my 20s and have been enjoying it more and more with each passing year. Mornings were also my lifeline as a new mom struggling with baby blues — that sun coming up and the smell of coffee after a long, lonely night was everything.
The sun always rises.
The start of a new day brings: Light, breakfast, possibility, coffee and the whole day ahead. On a perfect day it starts quietly and with movement, preferably outside. There’s a sunrise, dew, maybe fog and light dancing on the wall. If I’m lucky, there are morning snuggles and we get to move slowly.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Morning person or night owl? What do you love most?
Maybe you’ve noticed the updated blog name. Norden Morning. It excites me to think of creating a weekly blog here on Substack. Mostly to keep the artist thread running through my busy life. As ideas floated around in my brain, I knew I wanted to incorporate my favorite time of the day to write. I also wanted to include my current pin on the map in northern Minnesota. Norden means “the north” — perfectly describing what I see looking out the window from my perch on the living room couch.
ART | Photography, Poetry, Collage, Music, Documentaries & more
Martha
Most mornings you’ll find me down in the family room at 5:15am lacing up my shoes for 40 minutes on my walking pad. It’s been a saving grace our first winter back in Minnesota. I’ll listen to music or catch up on a podcast but the other day I decided to watch the Netflix documentary on Martha Stewart, Martha.
I didn’t know much about Martha Stewart and her life other than a few of her big headlines so I’m not really sure what drew me to watch it. In fact, until this year I didn’t spend much time in the kitchen and with the frequent moves, there wasn’t really making a home. She was off my radar.
So I watched and I was enthralled. It was interesting to hear about how she grew up and got her start. How she followed her vision and built from the ground up.
Also, and I’m not saying she didn’t have flaws but she is seriously a badass. Not only was she intelligent and skilled, she was walking the walk each and everyday, showing up, doing things her way and finding success with an unlikely passion.
The ups and downs and ins and outs of it was griping. I watched it twice in a row.
LIFESTYLE | Kitchen, Home, DIY & more
Every time I stop at my local co-op, I grab a pack of oatmeal energy balls. Last week I decided to just make them myself at home. Since I made my 3rd batch last night I figured I’d share them here. They’ve been flying out of the fridge (everyone loves them) and they’re so super easy. Yum.
MANA STUDIO | Updates From My Studio
I found myself downstairs last week totally lost in the process of cutting paper. I was so happy to be there. At the start of February, in the darkest part of winter, for the first time ever, I experienced a bit of burn out. It was a combination of a lot of things but my art practice waited patiently for me as I rested and curiously dabbled with words and pictures.
It felt good to be back — cutting, arranging, jotting down notes and simply flowing with ideas. I’ll share with you each week as this work takes shape.
Thank you for reading Norden Morning. This publication is made without the use of AI - just me, a 30-something artist/mother living life and sharing about it from my favorite little corner of the couch.
Did you enjoy today’s post? I invite you to share a blurb about it on your social media, forward it to a friend or link it in your newsletter. Lastly, I get so much value from your thoughts around all of these ideas, feel free to leave a comment, like or hit reply. I’d love to hear from you!
Oh yes, I’m a lifelong morning person!
Do you ever substitute anything for the flaxseed meal in the oatmeal energy balls? That’s not an ingredient I usually keep in my kitchen, so just wondering if you have tried other options. Love your newsletter!