Rhythms & Routines

I think I have a love/hate relationship with life routines. I like some predictability and at the same time I get antsy when life sometimes becomes repetitive. Maybe restless is a better word to describe how I feel sometimes. The pandemic, however, rocked all of our life’s rhythms and routines upside down which forced us all to look at our lives head on.

After the initial shock wore off, and the initial fear of catching a potentially deadly virus wained a little, I sort of liked the jolt that the shutdown created. It was a chance to rethink and redo life. The children were out of school and online learning was not a thing yet for elementary school aged children. I began a new routine with my kids that included some ‘old school’ lessons such as cursive writing and learning the multiplication table. I included recess and snack time, and even made them call me by my last name while we were ‘in class’. They got a kick out of it. Of course, eventually even this shiny new routine started to fade, but I continued until classes resumed online, which wasn’t until a few months later.

Today, my children are back in school and it’s a routine that they thrive in. I have found a rhythm to my work as well which makes for peaceful days. However, the desire to rock life off its axil is never too far away. Is it the quiet rebel in me that wants to plan an overseas trip in 48 hours? I don’t know, but the thought mischievously enters into my mind and I can’t help but smile at my impulsive desires to shake things up. Maybe it’s the travel bug that invades my every being every so often, but the thought of blowing off responsibilities and finding new adventures can seem so appealing, n’est-ce pas?

Whatever it is that I feel sometimes, it may be my desire to learn something, or many new things—so I started to do just that. On the work front I have two new TAFF projects on the go aside from my blog. I’ve also recently learned how to play Texas Holdem, poker. Don’t laugh, I know it might be an oldie for many of you, but one of my goals in my 40s is to beat my younger sister—who happens to be a shark. I made it to our family ‘finals’ but lost against my mentor. I might be down some substantial pocket change but make no mistake, game’s on!

So don’t be afraid to shake up your life rhythm as well. Whether it be through travel, learning something new, or blowing off the day to just take it easy—make sure it makes you smile!