Day 22: your morning routine
I am NOT a morning person and I never have been. I was even born at 4am, which I remember more as the time the clubs close than the time farmers get up. However, having children changes the balance of things. I’m not a morning person, but fake it pretty well.
Middle age has thrown another monkey wrench into the works: insomnia. Not sexy, folks.
So, what is my morning routine? I already outlined some of this in a previous post, but I didn’t go into too much detail. Here’s a closer look:
There are three versions of my morning routine — weekends, weekdays, and weekdays when John’s gone. Weekends are only slightly less early than weekdays. Mornings are busy, but not crazy. Weekdays when John’s gone are usually my most efficient. I suppose the “you’re on your own” switch gets flipped and I just get stuff done. When he is here, I’m a bit of a slug. He picks up the slack, but I know he’s not always happy about it.
The alarm goes off at 6:00 when he’s here and 5:45 when he’s not. There’s usually a snooze button involved, unfortunately. Fortunately, there’s always coffee. Coffee happens earlier when John’s around. When it’s just me, I often just rely on leftover coffee heated up and thrown in a travel mug.
Coffee is usually followed by a trip to the bathroom. You know what I mean. After that, I brush my teeth and shower. I get dressed and get my work stuff ready. I also make sure that kid 2 is downstairs, medicated, fed, and dressed. I and both offspring are usually in the car and on the road before 8:00.
Kid 2 gets dropped first, followed by kid 1 a minute or two afterward. Then my commute begins. This is when I pray. Each time I begin with the serenity prayer (God grant me the serenity…), and end with the Lord’s Prayer. In between I ask for guidance in raising my kids, help with being a good teacher, and for peace for the whole world. In times as trying as these, it’s good to check in and give a voice to one’s cares and concerns — and lay your burden down before the Big Guy. Prayer helps keep me focused and keeps me peaceful during my otherwise hellish commute.
Not flashy, but certainly routine. Gotta start somewhere.
violamom2tellsall 