Some words from Thich Nhat Hanh:
Every morning when we wake up, we should be able to be aware that a new day is offered to us, to live. A twenty-four brand-new hour’s day is being offered to us, to live. It would be a pity if we were not capable of receiving the gift of life every morning. You may like to organize so that in the morning, at the very time you wake up, you are aware that a new day begins and you have ways in order to prepare yourself to welcome that day. You know that the sun is very faithful. The earth is very faithful. Every morning when we wake up, the earth is there for us; the sun is there for us. They never miss the appointment. They are always there for you. Look at the earth, look at the sun, and look at the sky. Touch them deeply and touch yourself deeply, so that you be able to learn how to behave like the earth, how to behave like the sun, how to behave like the sky. If the earth is available to us, if the sun is available to us, if the sky is available to us each morning, then we should make ourselves available to them also. Use your intelligence, use your talent of organization so that every morning when you wake up, you can be aware that a new day, a twenty-four brand-new hours day is being offered to you and that you are ready to welcome it and you promise to live it fully, deeply with peace, with joy and with appreciation.
In my little book “The Miracle of Mindfulness” I suggested some ideas: You hang something on the ceiling, like a leaf, a branch or a wood, so that when you open your eyes, you see it. And when you see that signal you smile at it. You smile at yourself, you smile at life and you know that a brand-new day is offered to you. And you begin to breathe in and breathe out… and begin your day with mindfulness. How many times have we wasted our day, have we spoiled it. And you don’t want to do it again, to repeat the same mistake again, and to destroy our day, to destroy the new opportunity you are given again and again. For many of us, a day that is given to us, to live, is very precious, extremely precious. Nothing can be compared to the day that is given to you, to live. No fame. No profit. Nothing should be exchanged for that. Because that is the most valuable thing. And it is available to us.