Morning Rituals

Each morning - whether i have been up late, gone to bed early, or sporadically scheduled to spend time with Sidney, I am up with my 12 year old at 6:30am. We have both been sleeping in a bit, as bears often do during the dead of winter, and so our morning (breakfast) routine has slipped a bit.



His hot chocolate steams near by and I think of the morning routine.



Growing up...

There were sounds

~ Ken and Bob Talk Radio Show on radio
~ Ken's and Bob's infectious laughter
~ Radio E.G.B.O.K song on Friday mornings.
~ Paul Harvey with his "And now the rest of the story" monologue
~ Pounding on bedroom wall by my dad's palm of hand with a *pound - pound - pound* followed by a "Time to get up!"

There were smells

~ Fried egg sandwiches being made by my dad

~ Hot chocolate often accompanied that egg

~ Folding of lunch bags (I remember because of economy and our financial structure, i was told to save my brown paper lunch bag from monday - friday). By friday, it was in bad shape.

~ coffee - my mom always had a cup of coffee by her beside.

There were sights
~ My sister frantically trying to get out of the house for school. You were always at risk in the morning if in her way.

~ My mom sitting on the side of her bed, listening to the Ken and Bob show, drinking her coffee and smoking her cigarette. This time was to be uniterrupted as she gathered her thoughts for the day.

~ The inside of my walk in closet; the place i would hide from my parents - as they assumed I was up and getting dressed, but actually, I was curled up under a blanket, stealing away a couple more winks of sleep.

~3 lunch bags perched on the counter, aligned like birds on a wire, waiting to be taken and placed within the backpack.

I reminisce and project thoughts to this morning. If anything, what will my children remember about morning routines?

Sounds
~hmmm - currently, the sound of mom saying, "Shhh, don't wake up the baby," way too much. The worse one is to the husband who doesn't seem to understand the ramifications of an awakened infant.

Smells
~ Waffles, french toast, fried eggs, hot chocolate, coffee

Sights
~ Dad on his lap top
~ Mom on her lap top or Android Phone (oddly enough, this is akin to my mom sitting on the side of her bed. For me...this is how I wake up. Checking in with the world that went on without me as I slept...smile. This is how i begin to process and become alive.)

Things have changed since 1980 but the concept is the same; the routine is tweaked a bit, but there is still a rush to get out the door, backpacks quasi organized, hurried teeth brushing, slamming of doors, and buses or carpools to make. An interesting experiment.

good morning to you all.