"When getting up in the morning,
the first thing would be
a determination to be mindful.
Becoming aware of opening our eyes,
is the beginning of the day,
and the beginning of mindfulness.
If we have opened our eyes
before becoming aware of that,
we can close them
and start all over again.
And from that small incident
we will gain an understanding of mindfulness
and what it means,
then we can let the mind
be flooded with gratitude
that we have another whole day at our disposal,
for one purpose only.
Not to cook a better meal,
not to buy new things,
but to draw nearer to Nibbana.
One needs enough wisdom to know
how this can be accomplished.
The Buddha told us again and again
but we are hard of hearing
and not totally open to all the instructions.
So we need to hear it many times.

Being grateful brings the mind
to a state of receptivity
and joyful expectation of
"what am I going to do with this day?"
The first thing would be
to sit down to meditate,
maybe having to get up a little earlier.
Most people die in bed,
it's a perfect place for dying,
and not such a perfect place
for spending an unnecessarily long time.
If one has passed the first flush of youth,
one doesn't need so much sleep any more."
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/khema/herenow.html#ch10
From: Making the Most of Each Day by Sister Ayya Khema
For free distribution with the kind permission of the late Ayya Khema