Craving Clarity

We just had our windows cleaned, and it got me thinking a lot about clarity.

For the past couple of years, they’d been covered in the usual stuff... dust, rain, and of course the sticky handprints from little kids pressing their faces and fingers against the glass.

The back of our house overlooks a park with green grass, a splash pad, and the point of the mountain in the distance. On the Fourth of July, it’s one of the best spots in the city to watch fireworks. Families gather in the church parking lot below just to see the show. The view is incredible.

I didn’t realize how much I’d been missing until the windows were cleaned. Suddenly, everything looked sharper. Brighter. Unobstructed. And with that clarity came a sense of tidiness and perspective that just felt good.

I’ve noticed the same pattern with my sleep.

When I stay up too late watching a show, working, or just wasting time... I wake up too late, and it throws the whole day off. I’m groggy, behind before I even start, my to-do list piles up, I don’t exercise, and I feel like I’m running on a hamster wheel.

But when I’m disciplined and in bed before 9pm and up at 5am... it’s a different story. I have time to read, write, think, work out, and knock out a few tasks before everyone wakes up. I can make breakfast, talk with Abbey and the kids, and ease into the day without rushing. Those mornings give me space to see my life with sharper focus.

Of course, I’m not perfect. Sometimes we’re out late for summer plans, and I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything. I’ve lived enough of these cycles to know that early mornings bring me clarity. And when I have clarity, everything else feels meaningful, manageable, and full of purpose.

Like freshly cleaned windows, there’s nothing clouding the view. I can see what’s in front of me. And I crave that consistent clarity.