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Good morning. What’s the first thing you hear when you wake up? The beeping of an alarm clock? A hungry dog barking for its breakfast? Children shouting that they need an ironed shirt? Over the past few days this programme discussed the idea of waking up to something unusual - poetry. It was inspired by Dame Judi Dench, who revealed that as a child, her Father woke her every morning by reading out a poem. Listeners to this programme then responded with which poem they would most like to hear, or read, in the morning. Their choices, from Wordsworth to Rudyard Kipling, certainly would provide an inspiring kick-start to any new day. How we wake up, and what we do with our first few hours can have a powerful impact on all that follows. We all have a morning routine, or ritual, whether intentional or not. So perhaps it’s worth writing down what we do for a week and evaluating it. The smallest changes, like drinking more water, quick exercise, or a few minutes of silence, can alter our mood and our focus all day long. Once we’ve figured out the best morning routine for us, it can be challenging to stick to it. A warm bed makes it tough to head to the gym. And snoozing is always easier than getting up to cook a healthy breakfast. In difficult seasons of life we may feel least like committing to it, yet often they’re the times we need it most. In the Christian and Jewish traditions, King David is known for keeping up a dedicated, daily routine - his was meditation and prayer. In one of his Psalms he wrote: “LORD, every morning you hear my voice. Every morning, I bring you my needs and wait for your answer.” According to scholars he wrote those words during one of the most dangerous times in his life when he was hiding in caves from his enemies. David refused to let even the toughest of circumstances break the daily habit that grounded him. Similarly, the prophet Daniel demonstrated great commitment to his morning ritual of prayer. When the Persian Emperor commanded no one was to worship any god but him, Daniel was courageously disciplined and began his mornings as he always had done. He even chose to do this publicly - opening the large windows in his home so everyone could see him praying, unshaken by the Emperor’s threats. Our actions during the day are rooted in the intentions we set as we wake up and get ready. Maya Angelou puts this beautifully in her poem “On the pulse of morning” which she memorably delivered at the inauguration of President Clinton in 1993. She saw each morning like a living thing, with its own pulse – a rhythm of hope beating with possibilities. She urged people to lift up their eyes to the 'day breaking for them'. As she put it, the “horizon leans forward, offering you space to place new steps of change”. The more we can seize each morning to set our compass, our goals and our priorities, the more likely we are to end each day feeling like we lived well.