Morning routines
We all have different routines when we get up in the morning.
Some of us sip a hot cup of coffee with some toast as we check out a morning news program to check up on what horrible things have happened in the world overnight.
Others swap out the beverage of choice for a Diet Coke and maybe a donut, sweet roll or bag of potato chips while getting ready for work. When my children were younger, morning routines included getting children awake and dressed and functional and out the door, only to turn around and come back inside to find missing homework assignments or forms brought home to be signed or to find out from my wife that today was indeed not a pajama day and instead the picture retake day and they needed to change.
At times, I miss those hectic mornings. It is kind of like missing being home sick with the flu. Your mind glosses over icky parts and reminisces about lying in bed and having members of your family avoid coming near you leaving you in blissful, relaxing silence. It is important not to forget the icky parts.
I get up earlier than others in my household. I am not exactly sure why. Perhaps it has something to do with my rapidly graying hair in my beard, only matched by my hairline that appears to have the goal of joining with my neckline, or the fact that I feel every change in the weather in my joints. Regardless I am often up well before dawn — which when I was a kid growing up in southern New Jersey seemed far more impressive than living in a northern area where it is dark most of time for most of the year.
Because I am a conscientious and caring father and husband, as well as generally swell guy, I make every effort to be considerate of the others in my household who are layabouts who wait until the sky actually starts turning pink before they rouse themselves from their evening slumber.
I keep the noise to a minimum. If I watch something I keep the volume low and the closed captions on. If I want to listen to something, I will likewise keep the volume low.
I will even go so far as to not turn the overhead lights on so as to not disturb the restful slumber of my loved ones. It is all just part of being an all around great guy.
I find it is good to remind my wife and children just what a terrific guy I am this time of year as they consider what sorts of birthday and Christmas presents they should get me — like a really cool utility wagon. And with the curling season starting it is always useful to store up as many brownie points as I can get.
The challenge with being a terrific spouse and father is that I am left fumbling around in the dark getting ready in the morning. This works until I stub a toe or step on the medicine bottle cap that suspiciously missed getting into the waste basket and break down and turn on the light.
One of the habits I have gotten into each morning is to play a math puzzle game on my phone. It involves pairing numbers in a grid with the same number or the amount to total 10. The trick to succeeding at the game is to be able to think three or four pairs in advance and being patient in deciding when to play those. On a good day, the patterns seem to jump out at me and I can fly through the various stages. My high score is over 60,000 points.
Most days I am lucky to clear a screen or two before making a boneheaded choice and bringing it all crashing down. In a lesson in humility, I once played 15 games in a row and wasn’t able to make it past the first screen.
Playing games like that are similar to the starting of day calisthenics we would do in my gym class each morning from elementary through high school. While it has been a long time since I have done jumping jacks, I understand the idea of knocking the dust off and getting ready. Without meaning to, my time spent playing a silly game serves to chase away the cobwebs and get me ready for the day.
What sorts of morning routines do you have to get a start on your day?
Brian Wilson is News Editor at The Star News. Contact Brian at BrianWilson@centralwinews.com.
