Feb. 2, 2025

February Mornings

Show Notes
Transcript

Experience the subtle shifts of early February as winter whispers its first hints of change. Join Olivia for a reflection on dawn's increasing light, nature's quiet promises, and the gentle awakening of a new season.

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Ah Calarugashark Media. Hi everyone, I'm Olivia, and welcome to

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today's five Minutes of Gratitude, where we're exploring the quiet

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magic of February mornings, when winter starts to whisper hints

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of change. Before we begin, I want to remind you

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that if you'd like to experience these gratitude moments without interruption,

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you'll find details about our commercial free version in the

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show notes. There's something special about February mornings, isn't there.

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The light arrives a little earlier, now, changing the way

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we wake up. This morning, I noticed how the pre

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dawn sky held more colors than it did in January,

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subtle purples and pinks painting the clouds, as if nature

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is slowly adding to its palate. Walking to my favorite

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cafe today, I passed missus Chen tending to her winter

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window boxes. February is when I start looking for the

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first signs, she told me, gently brushing snow away from

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dormant soil. Sometimes, if you look very carefully, you can

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see the tiniest green points of bulbs starting to push upward.

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Hope grows even under the snow. These early February days

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carry a different kind of quiet than January's deep silence.

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The morning birds are a bit more talkative now, their

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dawn chorus starting just a few minutes earlier each day.

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Even the neighborhood cats seem more alert during their morning wanderings,

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pausing to investigate spots where snow has melted to reveal

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hints of earth beneath. The cafe feels different too. Instead

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of rushing in and out with their coffees, people are

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lingering a little longer, making tentative plans for spring. I

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overheard someone talking about starting seeds indoors, another person sketching

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garden layouts on a napkin. February mornings hold both contentment

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with winter's quiet and gentle anticipation of what's to come.

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My friend Marco the baker, tells me he can feel

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the change in his early morning routine. The air feels

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different when I open the bakery now, he says, less sharp,

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more like it's taking a deep breath before spring. He's

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already planning his Easter bread recipes, though snow still dusts

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his window sills. This morning I watched him teaching his

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young apprentice how to shape croissants, their movements creating warm

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pockets of cinnamon scented air in the pre dawn quiet.

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Even the winter regulars at the park seem to sense

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the subtle shift. The morning walking group has grown from

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three dedicated members to five, their breath still clouding in

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the cold air, but their pace a bit more purposeful. Sarah,

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who's walked every morning for twenty years, says February walks

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feel different. January is about endurance, she tells me, but

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February d is about noticing. Every day brings some small

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change if you're paying attention. I love watching how different

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people approach these transitional days. Some are still fully embraced

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in winter's rhythm, like the group of photographers I saw

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this morning capturing frost patterns on windows. Others are already

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reaching towards spring. The young couple cleaning their bicycles in

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their garage, the teacher preparing seed starting projects for her students,

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the retired professor making notes about when the first migrating

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birds might return. Through my home office window, I've been

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watching a family of cardinals visit my bird feeder each morning.

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Their red feathers seem especially bright against February's muted palette,

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like small flames against the snow. The male has started

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his territorial singing, just a few notes at dawn, another

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small sign that the wheel of the year is turning,

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even if winter still holds firm. This morning, my elderly

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name mister Thompson invited me to see his amaryllis collection,

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six pots lined up on his kitchen windowsill, each bulb

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at a different stage of growth. February needs indoor gardens,

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he explained, adjusting a grow light. We have to create

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our own signs of hope. Sometimes the smallest bulb was

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just showing its first green tip, while the tallest stalk

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supported a massive red bloom that seemed to glow in

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the morning light. More in a moment. Today's affirmation is

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I welcome each day's subtle gifts with an open heart.

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Take a moment to let these words settle into your consciousness.

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February mornings remind us that change often comes in gentle increments.

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A minute more daylight, a single bulb pushing through soil,

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one bird adding its voice to the dawn Koru. When

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we approach each day with attention and gratitude, we notice

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these small gifts that might otherwise pass unobserved. Think about

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how this mirrors our own growth and transformation. Rarely do

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we change in sudden leaps. More often it's through small

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daily choices, tiny steps forward, gentle persistence in the direction

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of our dreams. Like February itself, we exist in a

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space of both and both, accepting where we are and

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moving toward where we want to be. Consider how you

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might bring this February morning awareness to your own life.

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Perhaps by noting the subtle changes in your morning light,

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by listening for new bird songs, by watching for those

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first brave bulbs pushing through snow. Each observation becomes a

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small celebration, a moment of connection with the turning of

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the seasons. Remember that hope, like spring, often arrives in

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whispers before it arrives and shouts. The quiet promises of

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February mornings remind us that renewal is always possible, that

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light returns in its own perfect time, that beneath every

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winter lies the seed of spring. Let's say our affirmation

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together one more time. I welcome each day's subtle gifts

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with an open heart. As you move through your own

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February mornings, I hope you'll take time to notice the

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small changes, the quiet promises, the gentle hints of renewal

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that surround us. Each dawn brings its own gifts if

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we remember to look for them with grateful hearts. Thank

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you for sharing this February morning with me. Until next time,

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may you notice and celebrate the quiet promises each day brings.

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This is Olivia signing off from five Minutes of Gratitude,

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Grateful for these moments of shared observation and hope

February Mornings

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