Slicing into my routine

Time to get back into a routine.  And hoping the transition from summer to school  year will be made a bit easier with a no mess hair style and a simplified approach to dressing.  Earlier this summer I heard about a challenge to choose 6 items and wear only those items for a month.  I am working on a version of that for my school wardrobe.  I have also been learning to embrace my curls which has really cut down on my morning routine.   So, what will I do with that extra time?  Not quite sure yet but there are books on my Kobo and a new Couch to 5K ap on my phone not to mention a blank journal.  Surely something will feel right.

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SOLC #25 – the first of the season

Iced tea.  It is a ritual that will happen daily now – rather like the baseball season, once it begins, it is always on. 

Yesterday they predicted a lovely afternoon so I took my running tights out of my bag and tossed in some shorts.  We had teacher meetings and were done early.  I would have time for a longer run.  At the last-minute, I decided to try a new trail.  I had seen the parking area many times on one of my alternate routes.  It was all uphill going out.  A trail formed by an underground pipeline, fenced off from vehicles but frequently used by walkers, runners, and horse riders.  The  houses that line each side of the trail have big yards, elaborate gardens, and animals.  I saw horses, goats, chickens, even a cow.  I thought about the new garden beds I hope to build during spring break.  It was warm enough to make me wish I had a water bottle.  Coming back was a breeze, all downhill, but that thirst didn’t fade.  I couldn’t wait to get home to that first glass of iced tea, warm enough to melt the cubes, forming beads of moisture on the glass, another signal that spring has arrived.

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SOLC #11 – another slice of morning

I have come to accept that when you like to cook, you fill up your sink with lots of dishes.  My sink looks like this twice a day but the way I handle the morning sink differs from the after dinner mess.   I have been making a batch of juice nearly every morning which means the juice machine must be cleaned.  And lately, I have been making smoothies to take for a mid-morning snack adding a messy blender to the mix.  I don’t generally like washing dishes by hand but in the morning, I take on this mess without much thought.  I just do it.  In the evenings, I am all for letting the dishes soak.   It isn’t a time factor.  Getting up early gives me plenty of time for my morning routines.  Maybe I don’t want to be met by this mess at the end of my work day.   And I wouldn’t want anyone to leave this mess for me so that is a factor.  But I think mostly that I am a morning person, and even my sink attests to that fact.

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getting past the thermometer

It is too cold out there.
Well I have my fleece and tights and I even have wool socks.
But it didn’t get above freezing today and by the time you get to the trail, it will be getting dark.
I only need 30 minutes.
Aren’t you afraid to be on the trail alone?
I carry my cell phone and frankly, no, I am not afraid.  I think I am more afraid of not going because once you start missing days, it is too easy to keep missing days. 
You could do an exercise video at home.
But the sun is actually shining, even if it is cold.
Okay.  Fine.  Pull on your gloves and hat and let’s get this done.

That conversation has been running through my head and through my afternoons as I finish up at work and change into my running gear.  I can’t expect others to understand why I am heading to the trail on these cold December days if my own head is buzzing at me to skip a day.  But once I get going, it does feel good.  I warm up, body and soul, and I am out in God’s creation.  Cold, frosty, but the sky is turning from blue to pink and by the time I am done, I can see the moon rising.  My running becomes a prayer in motion and I am filled with gratitude that for one more day, I was able to get past the thermometer.

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Slice of Life

Waking up was easy.  No alarm clock necessary.  This was the day to really get into the swing of that back to school schedule.  First on the list, the 10 minutes workout on the new DVD.  This felt like a good way to begin the day.  Then downstairs for that first full glass of water and some coffee – gotta love that auto timer function on the coffee maker.  Back upstairs for a shower.  It sure is easier to get dressed when the laundry has been done and hung up.  The rest of the routine fell into place; breakfast, make a lunch, pack up the work bag, and we are off.

But then . . .

How could I forget my cell phone?  Only about a mile down the road, turn around and retrieve the phone.  Not much time lost but I guess just enough to throw things off.  Little by little, the day seem to slip by until someone says, “Oh there go the parents.  Hope they had fun at the Open House.”  WHAT?  I was supposed to go to the classroom five minutes before the end of the Open House to walk the parents to the dismissal area.  Okay, I can still get there, chat with them, laugh about how short the hour was and how fun it will be for the kids to stay longer next time. 

Back at my desk, cluttered with papers and lists and sticky notes.  I really must get that food allergy list done today!  What?  Did I do the survey for the meeting tomorrow?  Uh, no?  Regroup, find the accreditation manual, find the survey, try to figure out what the rating system is. 

Finally, the clock says it is past time to go home.  Still have those after work errands to run.  What happened to the day?  Will I ever get back into the routine?  As the papers are packed up there is a glimmer of red at the bottom of the pile.  A picture.  Hand drawn by a student.  Yes.  That was the reminder I needed.  What is important?  The kids.  Their ideas, their words, their drawings.  Quick.  Make a note to bring in some of those wall tabs tomorrow so I can hang some kid art on my new office wall.

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Walking to work

One of the benefits of moving our school is that I now have the option of walking to work.  It is 1.3 miles from my driveway to the parking lot and it isn’t a bad walk.  A little bit of an incline in a few places means it qualifies as exercise. 

I have been trying to listen to my body this summer and it says that walking is good.  I think I have only missed three or four days of walking over the last 5 weeks.  So I hope to take advantage of walking to work – it is good for my body and gives me time to think.  Not a bad combination.

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The purse

It isn’t a big purse.  Not really functional in my way of thinking.  I like my purses large enough to hold a book, small notebook, wallet, phone, and a variety of other things I might need at any given moment.  But mom has been using this purse for quite awhile now.  I remember when she first began this forgetting.  She would leave her purse behind at the theater or the restaurant and they would have to go back and get it.  It frustrated dad to no end.  He didn’t understand why she even needed her purse.  He had the keys and his wallet after all.   

Over the last week, I have tried to be a champion for this purse.  I absolutely understand why she wants her purse, even when we are just going for an x-ray.  Sure, it will be one more thing to keep track of, but when I asked her if she needed anything before we left, she said, “Well, I would like to have my purse.”  And each time we go out, she asks, “Do I have my purse?”   

As we sat at lunch the other day I noticed that the leather strap is in bad shape.  Mom has put worry lines in it.  She holds the purse on her lap, touching and twisting the strap.  I haven’t see her open it but I know that inside we would find a cell phone that hasn’t been charged in ages, a packet of tissues, a comb and emery board, a small wallet, and a lipstick.  Just enough to help her feel presentable. 

Now, if I could just help dad understand the importance of the purse.

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Routine

I am thinking a lot about routine this morning.  I have been on spring break since April 9 and in a short time, I will return to my work routine.  But these last 10 days have been anything but routine.  My getting up and going to be times haven’t changed much.  What did change was my penchant for having a daily plan, a list of when and where I would be.  I have tried to remain open and be available for my parents.  And it surprises me that I am not feeling put upon.  I am not by nature a sacrificial person.  I don’t mind helping out but I like to be in charge.  These last 10, I have had to release the need to be in charge.  Last night I talked with mom (my brother went to spend the weekend with them so I did take some time for myself).  She wanted a glass of wine, something that is part of her evening routine.  But she is taking pain meds and can’t have a glass of wine.  I heard a catch in her voice, the one that signals tears of frustration are on the way.  Her routine has disappeared.  It seems she is not in charge of anything.  Routine is important.

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