In Praise of the Routine

Two weeks ago, I woke up on Monday morning in a condo at the beach. I do not remember exactly what time, though it was not that late, as we got up in time to go swimming in the indoor pool and take a soak in the hot tub before making a few more s’mores over the gas grill, packing up, and heading out to the beach.

A week ago, I woke up on Monday morning in a four star hotel, about an hour later than I usually do. I watched some TV as I took my time getting dressed and then went downstairs to partake of a free breakfast, after which, I had the pleasure of listening to Condoleezza Rice speak.

This morning, when my alarm went off at 6am, I woke up in my own bed, knowing I needed to let doggies out, make my breakfast and lunch for the day, then feed doggies, get dressed and out the door by 6:30am in order to catch my 6:45am bus.

And when that alarm went off this morning, like most mornings, I thought about staying in bed just a few minutes longer to enjoy the cuddly husband and sleepy doggies. I thought about how different this Monday morning was from the last two, and I smiled. I smiled as I realized that this was going to be a “normal” week, that this week, we would be back to our routine. Spring break was over, my three day business trip was behind us.

Today, I would get writing night. Tomorrow I would start the day with my weekly Lean Coffee group. Wednesday, C will go to his gaming night. And we were just going to be back in our routine. And it felt good.

As a foster parent, I often read profiles of kids where it mentions they do best with a strict routine, where they know what they will be doing each day and what will be expected of them. Before we had Pop Tart, I used to think our life was not routine at all, I did not know how we might manage a kid who needed a strict routine. And now, now I realize that I do best with my routines, too.

Sure, it is nice to have a break. Getting away for a family vacation to the beach is wonderful. But so is getting up in the morning knowing what the plan is, not just for the day, but for the week. Sure every day is going to have slight variations – I had a meeting at 9am this morning that was a one off, and dinner will be whatever C decides to cook, but I still know what the general plan is. And it puts me in a good mood, even at 6am on Monday morning.

I had an amazing weekend. A friend flew in from out of town on Friday evening, and we ran ourselves ragged on Saturday. Sunday we took her back to the airport and then headed to a baby shower. But sometime Sunday afternoon, we got home, and I started laundry, and mowed the yard. We argued with Pop Tart about homework, and then our best friends came over for Sunday Family Dinner – all regular Sunday things, and even though I had a fabulous time with my friend, it was just so nice to be doing what we do on Sundays. Honestly, that Sunday routine is HOME to me.

They say variety is the spice of life. I like spice, but for me, it is best when it is sparingly used, and used on a solid, quality base. No amount of spice will cover up a bad piece of meat, or poorly cooked pasta. And that’s how I like my life. Some spice, some variety, but spread out over a strong base, a routine that gives me strength and comfort.