As we head into longer nights in the colder months ahead, I wanted to create a cozy basket to have with me for when I want to turn inward, work on a hobby, or simply reflect. I do these things outside of just my morning time but it’s been extra special devoting a basket for some things I love that I can carry between the upper and lower levels of my house and set an example for my family as well.

A few things I keep in my basket:

• Journal + pen: I had an old 2019 planner that I repurposed as an “everything” journal. Some pages have an art journaling vibe like the one below, and others are notes, quotes from books, annotations, reflections, du’a lists, and pretty much anything in between. I don’t use it as my morning pages journal because I prefer to do “evening pages” instead and keep that by my bedside. My favourite pens to journal are: the zebra ballpoint pens. They are smooth and flow nicely as you write streams of consciousness. My favourite pen for planning are the sharpie gel pens.

• Fiction: Quiet mornings when I get to read help me relax and escape into a great story before the day begins. Some recent books I finished from my morning basket include: The Beekeeper of Aleppo, Jane Eyre, Caroline, and A Place for Us.

• Non-fiction: I like to save non-fiction for mid-day but I’ll occasionally have parenting books like Simplicity Parenting, the Whole-Brain Child, something by Brene Brown, or other books related to my clinical social work field.

• Handicraft: I picked up knitting, felt toy-making, crochet, and paper crafts over the last couple years (thank you Waldorf!) and it’s been nice having ongoing projects I create through the weeks available within my basket so I can make progress at any time.

• Du’as book: My copy of Hisnul Muslim and this little du’a book are never far from my basket. My daughter often picks them up and starts reading what she knows because she loves the mini-size. Nothing is more grounding than reading a succinct du’a for a particular need just at the right time. The du’as we recite serve as protection and calming reminders throughout our day.

• Tasbeeh: I still have my wooden beaded tasbeeh from Madinah and I find I mostly use it for Salawat or repeating the Kalimah in a rhythm.

Benefits of having a motherly basket

One of the reasons I love having my basket around is because it sets an example for my daughter to see various ways of spending quality time. When she sees me reading, she reads. When she sees me knitting, she pulls out her own handicrafts. When she sees me writing, she knows it’s time to practice her own drawings or creativity.

This helps with removing “boredom” and gives ample ideas for how to spend time together as a family and also alone as we each dive into our inner world.

Create your own basket!

Start with what you have and notice the things you are already doing as part of your morning. Consider making a list or putting those things out to see what you want to keep or omit from your basket. As you make use of it, you’ll notice what works or doesn’t work for you and perhaps you may have seasons or weeks when you find it helpful and others when you don’t use it as much. That’s fine! I know I turn to mine a lot more in Fall and Winter.

Let me know below if you found this helpful and what you’ll be adding to your basket! I love getting recommendations for what to add next in mine.

Till next time,

Asma