I do “contemplation” pretty well. It’s in my nature to be somewhat quiet and at rest (as my waistline will attest).
But there’s a difference between rest and redemptive silence.
Recently, I have not been able to begin my day in silence the way I have been accustomed to, and I my soul has been paying the price. I’ve realized that taking some time—any time—has a significant positive impact to the amount of peace in my spirit.
It’s easy to assume that we’re supposed to “hit the ground running”. Maybe we’re supposed to hit the ground listening.
Or kneeling.
To let God speak a word—The Word—to us, before we start speaking back to Him, or to our families.
We are silent at the beginning of the day because God should have the first word, and we are silent before going to sleep because the last word also belongs to God. – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
this is eric case 
What weird (and awesome) timing… I’m normally a “press snooze until the absolute last second, brush teeth while in the shower, apply make-up at the red lights on the way to work” type of non-morning person. However, after years of listening to my wise mother say, “Lindsey, you will have a less stressful day if you start with a less stressful morning,” this morning I finally conceded… I actually sat down for 8 whole minutes to enjoy a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee. Baby steps. 🙂
Baby steps, absolutely! Next week try 10m 😉