Breaking in the Day

I am just wondering, how many people made their bed this morning?  Not me.  I’m lucky if maybe I make it two times a week in the actual AM portion of a given day, possibly one or two more times a week I might get it made by the afternoon and well the rest of the time, it gets left as a rumpled toss of blankets... perfect for jumping.

I never really thought (or honestly cared) about it much, but something a friend shared this morning at a meeting, made me rethink certain rituals we perform at the crack of dawn and the impact they have on the rest of our day.

He said that in order to start off in the right direction each morning, he has to make his bed. He pulls up the sheets, then folds over the bedspread, yanks and smoothes out the wrinkles, ending with a couple of good smacks to fluff up the pillows.  For him that simple ceremony brings a sense of order and focus before heading into a new day.

I was like hmmmmm, yea right..... order and focus.... in the morning, before coffee, with three kids to get ready and out of the house? I wasn’t convinced, but I kept thinking about it all day.

My morning ritual goes a little something like this... As soon as my children’s school comes into sight, I gun my minivan through the 15 miles-per-hour school zone, kick my kids out on the curb and race for the hills howling with joy, before anyone can catch me and give my heathens back!

Just kidding, really, that was just a fantasy joke.  But some days I do feel like that though... as if I just can’t get rid of them soon enough. It’s always amazing to me how less than two hours from waking to drop off can be so stressful.



Being late, the threat of being late and all the stuff left to do before we actually leave the house which I know will make me late, just completely stress me out.  It’s MY trigger. And as the pending threat of LATENESS approaches, my volume creeps up and my patience drains away.

So it’s doubtful that any amount of bed making or sheet yanking, and comforter pounding or pillow throwing is going to help the likes of me or my poor chicklets.

But some mornings somehow do manage to go smoother with little or no incidence... So I started thinking about how those mornings where different and what ceremony or voodoo might I engage in that could stave off certain doom and melt down and forgotten backpacks and undone homework and pre-teen bad hair days....

The mornings that tend to flow peacefully for us include lots of laughs and hugs and kisses. Even if I have to go back in to my daughter’s room four times to get her moving, if I tickle her out of bed, she is less likely to screech about it.

The days I snuggle up in bed a little longer with my son are days that start out sweeter.

And when I take the time to tell my 12-year old how cute she looks, before insisting she get moving, she tends to shuffle a bit faster.

The mornings that I choose to blow kisses before I race for the hills howling with joy... I do feel calmer, coupled with less guilt and less stress. And for the unfortunate soul who happens to be my first client, less likely to kick their butt around the gym until they puke.

I guess I better get to bed... it’s 12:08 and it’s hard to be humorous when you're exhausted.