Routines. Some find it boring. Some find it useful. I find it soothing.
The morning glow of the waking sun begins to illuminate my bedroom after 5:30am. I close my eyes and try desperately to fall back to sleep for another ten, fifteen minutes. But the bed feels cold and I shiver as I pull the blankets tightly under my chin. Husband has already been up for about an hour and a half taking his body warmth with him. After a few minutes I get up, too. I make the bed. Pulling the blanket tightly over the edges, smoothing the top. Fluffing the pillows and straightening them.
By 5:45am Big Sister is awake. Depending on the day Baby will wake up fifteen to thirty minutes later, giving us enough time to get breakfast on the table. By 7am Husband is giving us goodbye kisses and then heading out the door. At this point Baby has crawled right up to my legs, pulling on my pyjama pants as she lets out a whine. I go to the bedroom and nurse her while Big Sister brushes her teeth and puts on school clothes. Half an hour later, my own teeth are brushed, hair neatly pulled back into a pony tail, sporting comfy jeans, a t-shirt, a cardigan, and baby all settled in her stroller, we head down the hill to take Big Sister to school.
The morning glow of the waking sun begins to illuminate my bedroom after 5:30am. I close my eyes and try desperately to fall back to sleep for another ten, fifteen minutes. But the bed feels cold and I shiver as I pull the blankets tightly under my chin. Husband has already been up for about an hour and a half taking his body warmth with him. After a few minutes I get up, too. I make the bed. Pulling the blanket tightly over the edges, smoothing the top. Fluffing the pillows and straightening them.
By 5:45am Big Sister is awake. Depending on the day Baby will wake up fifteen to thirty minutes later, giving us enough time to get breakfast on the table. By 7am Husband is giving us goodbye kisses and then heading out the door. At this point Baby has crawled right up to my legs, pulling on my pyjama pants as she lets out a whine. I go to the bedroom and nurse her while Big Sister brushes her teeth and puts on school clothes. Half an hour later, my own teeth are brushed, hair neatly pulled back into a pony tail, sporting comfy jeans, a t-shirt, a cardigan, and baby all settled in her stroller, we head down the hill to take Big Sister to school.
Everyday, every morning, this is what I can expect. This is my routine. And it soothes me. The familiarity, the rhythm, the groove we've nestled into, I look forward to it every day. When Sunday night rolls around and Monday looms ahead, I find a small sense of relief and anticipation in going back to the familiar and comforting daily motions as I go about my week. I am grateful for this. For the gift that routine gives. For the way it somehow refreshes me.
Day 13 of Cultivating joy through 20 days of gratefulness.