“My Sweet Summer is Gone”- Dirty Heads
"Warm was the weather outside the day we met,
Blue was the color of skies the day she left
Short was the time we had, it was the best"
These lyrics are harsh realities today for teachers across the country. It’s time to wave goodbye to our late nights, spontaneous road trips, lunch dates and tan lines! It was a good run--but the alarm clock will remind me just how good on Monday.
Routines:
There’s no way around them in my line of work. We have minutes dedicated to walking from class to class, lunch, early stay, and bathroom breaks. Bells keep us on task and kids don’t let you forget it either ;) All that to say, I find a certain rhythm in the routines I have and enjoy the regularity of knowing what I need to do in order to set myself up to have relatively smooth day. Things will not always go according to plan, nor should it be traumatizing if they don’t, but it’s nice to feel “on top of things.”
I probably say this too much, but it is a concern, and repetition aids learning (#teacherlingo).
What works for me may be utterly laughable for you and your responsibilities, BUT something might be applicable and if nothing else, it may cause you to re-think or re-commit to your own.
These are in no particular order, but they are the ones I feel I have a decent grasp on.....there are plenty I don't (yard work, reading for pleasure)
1. Food
I’m boring. There are plenty of bloggers who can spice up your menus a lot more than this one, but here’s to trying. I always go to the grocery once on the weekend and once during the week. I meal prep on Sunday to have all my breakfasts and lunches for a week at school done and dusted. Dinners vary depending on our schedules, but I don’t spend hours in the kitchen prepping and cleaning because that’s time I have with Drew and I’d rather spend it in a more meaningful (to me) way. Snooozeeeee, right?
My advice is to keep your house a “cleaner” zone as far as foods go. Foods you don’t have much control over (trail mix for me) shouldn’t make it inside very often. If you want a treat, go out to get it and enjoy it out and then be done. Think frozen yogurt, an evening movie night snack, whatever--just let it have an end point instead of a gallon of ice cream staring at your every time you reach for the frozen peas.
2. Cleaning
- You’d think with two adult people, no dog and not too many years of accumulated stuff, that our house would just kind of maintain cleanliness? Ehh, pipe dreams. Drew cuts his hair, I change and drop my clothes, he works from home, I have more running shoes than I can keep organized, etc….the messes happen. I try to do two chores as soon as I get home from school to “reset.” There’s no rhyme or reason to which ones on certain days, but it doesn’t take long and it keeps chores from piling up.
3. Exercise
- Pencil it in like a doctor’s appointment and don’t cancel! It’s that important. I feel more alert, energetic, and patient if I start my day with a workout. For some people, it would be a waste of time to wake up and try because mornings just don’t come easy. Figure out what works for you, and stick to it. Once you’ve mentally blocked out that time, it’s much easier to say “no” to things that would interfere and cause you to skip. Before you know it, it’s a part of your day you look forward to!
- For me, it's 5:30-6:45 am before I go to school. Those kids wear me out and I don't have the energy to go after. I would easily skip or talk myself out of it at 3:30 in the afternoon, but I love it in the morning!
4. Quiet(ish) Time
- I’m a Christian and I seek to have a growing relationship with the Source of my life, Jesus Christ. I acknowledge that my own strength runs dry quickly, and I depend on time spent in His Word and in prayer to live life abundantly. With that being said, I’m also not good at sitting still (hence the profession) for longer than 10 minutes and I read my Bible App on the treadmill or stairmaster at the end of my workouts. Might sound weird, but I’m focused and awake and it’s a great way to ready my mind for the kiddos and their craziness.
- It's also important to take time to disconnect from media--I think so many people miss out on deeper relationships with their spouse, family members, kids, and friends because their life is a carousel of screens. Have times that you plug your phone into the charger and go downstairs. Play a game with your family. Cook dinner without checking your e-mail. It'll all be there when you get back and nothing will be gained by interrupting your thoughts and conversations with REAL, present people.
5. Your Main Squeeze
- (People in general) During the months that Drew or I have coaching responsibilities, the time together gets crunched a bit. My best advice is to be purposeful….I would say “intentional,” but it’s a buzzword right now and those annoy me. Think about the time you’ll spend together before you get there so you don’t waste time saying, “I don’t know, what do YOU want to do?” If both people are anticipating how they are going to spend the time together, I promise some good things are bound to happen….;) I love getting texts during the day saying, “I was thinking we could play tennis tonight.” It shows the other person you are thinking of them and value the time together enough to want to do more than sit on the couch (we do that sometimes too).
Drew is pretty clutch with the sunset views. Thought I was marrying a realtor, got a travel agent, too. Crater Lake
