Thursday, October 8, 2009

Routine

I need a new morning routine.

The one that I have been using for the past...whole entire life....is not working. It is surviving.

Here is my current routine. It comes very naturally for me.

  • Snooze until I absolutely have to wake up (and then one more).
  • Rush to shower and get dressed.
  • Comb hair.
  • No time for breakfast or to dry my hair.
  • Brush teeth.
  • Leave for the day.
  • Finally start to become hungry (I am not good at having an appetite in the morning.)
This routine is exacerbated by the fact that our bedroom has no windows, and absolutely no light comes in at all. Ever. If I wake up at 3am or at 10am, it is still so dark you can't see your hand in front of your face, and you have no concept of time. Don't get me wrong, it's wonderful for sleeping. Horrible for waking up, especially if you're slow about everything in the morning. Slower than usual.

Anyway, I tried to take a picture of how dark it was in the room, but there was nothing to focus on. I ended up probably just wasting battery power. Much like the time I was in Tallinn and tried to take a picture of how blue the sky was. The camera could not find anything in the blue to focus on, so I had to include some buildings in the shot.

I recreated what the picture of the room would've looked like in paintbrush:


This morning I had a different routine. One that I would like to try again. It involves getting up a half hour earlier...and I'm exhausted right now...but it's ok. I think. Will have to try it for a while.

Here is what happened. I had to get up and proofread, and I had set the personal goal to get that done by a certain time. When I woke up I was very cold (no heat here yet). So I put on a sweatshirt and a thick blanket and went to the living room to proofread. I just realized this is an incredibly boring post. It's boring but it's my life.

Anyway, while I was sitting on the couch trying to get used to the blinding light the computer was throwing out at me, Steve was discovering that there was no hot water to be had in the building. So while he was fixing that, I was proofreading. I wonder if you're still reading this? Anyway, I finish proofreading, and while I wait for the hot water to come back on, I decided that I've been up long enough to actually be hungry for a bowl of cereal. Then by the time the hot water is back, I am awake enough to take a reasonably timed shower (I would not go so far as to say a fast one).

Anyway, what I'm trying to say, is that I need a new routine. And this getting up an doing something other than rushing around is really appealing to me. I wonder how long it will last? I will try tomorrow. On Saturday, we're getting up before the sun to go to Vilnius, so routine will be thrown out the window.

Here is a picture of the blue sky in Tallinn, the most interesting and beautiful thing about this post (Tallinn is beautiful. And interesting). The picture was taken right before the camera's battery died, because I wasted all the power trying to focus on the blue sky.


Heck, here is another. Tallinn is so far north that it doesn't get too dark in the summer, and pretty much stays dark all winter. Here it is, nearing midnight in May.

So, what is your morning routine?

2 comments:

Eva Joy said...

When you said, "I decided that I've been up long enough to actually be hungry for a bowl of cereal," I read "ice cream" not "cereal." Not sure why. Freudian slip, perhaps? I thought a bowl of ice cream in the morning was an interesting addition to your routine, but I supported it until I realized that is not what you said in the first place.

Don't worry about the early morning this weekend....I heard you only have to do something twice before it becomes a habit. Not sure where I heard that. "They" probably said it.

On days I work, I get up, shower, dress, dry my hair, make coffee, eat two pieces of toast and a piece of fruit, pack a lunch for work and drive downtown to catch the shuttle. I've spent the last month trying to get in the habit of reading Scripture in the morning, but it hasn't been going too well....if I read before I get out of bed, I'm not awake enough to process anything and if I wait until I'm ready to go to work I've got too much on my mind and I feel like I'm rushing through what I'm reading.

On days when I don't work, I brush my teeth, put in my contacts, stick a sermon on my ipod and go for a run or bike ride. Then I clean up, eat my toast and fruit and get on with my day. No coffee on my days off. Not by rule, necessarily, just not in my routine to make it.

Laura said...

Oh man, ice cream for breakfast...maybe when they turn the heat on.

I am trying to think of what I want to do with my time in the morning. Scripture crossed my mind. Maybe just some light ones though. Help me ease out of sleep-mode and into the day. That, or I might do dishes. Lord knows they always need to be done.

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