We all have our morning routines. Sometimes it’s just opening the front door and picking up the newspaper, or walking out to the curb to see if the mails come yet. Some of us have to make the arduous trek down three flights of stairs balancing a steaming hot cup of tea to the office to check the messages that may have come in overnight. Or you might turn on the TV to catch CNN to see what major catastrophe has caught the world unaware while you were sleeping. Whatever it is it’s a good bet you do it every single morning.

Others less fortunate than us, who live in a different place, like maybe Monument Valley, have an entirely different routine. They might have gotten up with the sun and dressed quickly because it is cold here in the morning in this open place, after all the deep blue starlight has been falling on this land all night long and that makes the ground very cold. Hurrying to miss the morning rush hour they have to go out and catch their ride for the morning commute. Luckily traffic is light this morning so that’s a good start to the day.

It’s a couple of miles down to the road from the house, then 17 miles to the front gate out on hwy 163 where the mailboxes are. Before they put the boxes in they would have had to travel an extra 22 miles to Kayenta to get to the Post Office. There had better be at least a Sears catalog in there to make the trip worth while. By then it would almost be breakfast time and a stop at the Blue Coffee Pot restaurant for some frybread and coffee would be in order. Now since things have gotten fancy everywhere they can go to Burger King for a Sausage Breakfast Burrito, or even a Croisanwhich if they’re more adventurous. But when the fun was over they had the return trip back home to look at.

That usually took up most of the morning and after turning Roy out into the corral they still had sheep to shear, horses to brand, goats to milk, Hogan’s to repair, tourists to look at, the catalog to read and all kinds of other everyday stuff to do. Just speaking Navajo all day long is a chore. Just try saying ” Tó Dínéeshzheeʼ “ which is Dineh for Kayenta a couple of dozen times and you’ll see what I mean.

And of course their biggest and most important job was Scenery Inspection, making sure that nothing had changed overnight. That all the buttes and mesas and wide open spaces were still exactly where they were supposed to be. Nothing out-of-place and all is still right with the world, at least as far as The People see it.

I’m beginning to think my morning routine and my whole day for that matter, needs a little perking up. How about you, are you satisfied with your day.