For instance, I always thought that my mom got up at an insanely crazy hour. I like my sleep, and I have always been good at sleeping. I practice a LOT. I don't like waking up early. Mom was usually up around 5:30, I think. I was always asleep, so I'm not 100% sure of her wake up time. I just knew it was really freakin' earlier than I'd ever consider being up and about. She still rises with the sun. Crazy.
For two weeks now I've had a bad cold. It's the kind of cold that keeps you awake because you're so congested you cannot breathe, whether you're reclining or sitting up. You lay in bed trying not to wake your spouse with your throttling nose blows. You drain the dregs of what was a glass of tea at midnight (but is now a flavorless puddle of tea-flavored water) in an effort to wet your dry throat and stifle your hacking cough. You finally give up trying to go back to sleep (sleep is hard when you can't breathe, no?) and seek solace in another part of the house. My solitary place is my office.
Three times this week I've been up before the sun. And you know what? I've discovered that Mom is a genius.
It's Q-U-I-E-T before the break of day. I can actually think and spend a few moments collecting myself before I'm hurled head first into the insanity of my daily life. I can imagine it's a lot like the few moments a competitive diver spends collecting him/herself before diving into the pool below. Time to concentrate (all alone) on the task before you gives you so much clarity. It's amazing.
I think I'm going to set a goal for myself for the coming school year. I am going to try to wake up at 7 am in order to give myself 30 solitary minutes to just chill before I start the day. I'll be able to greet each child with a smile instead of barking at them to get up (because I'm mad that I had to get up only 2 minutes before). I think it might just make life a little smoother and happier.
We'll see.
Thanks, Mom.
No comments:
Post a Comment