Throw in normal evening routines like making healthy dinners (worth it, but so bloody time consuming), tidying up from the day (of which we were primarily gone 8-10 hours of, so where does the mess even come from?), taking a run or a long nature walk (translate, getting outside time, so important), getting clothes and lunch ready for the next day...it all gets crazy as we adjust to this new normal. Summer is long and spoils us dearly.
The resuming of work and school reminds me of just how fast time passes by. Three seconds ago, it was my first day back to work. Now it's almost three weeks in. In the blink of an eye it will be June, and another summer will be looming. My son and I will both be a year older, and another school grade will be behind him. Two blinks of an eye, and I'm in the stands waiting for him to come up the steps in his cap and gown and receive his diploma.
I know this. I also know that I'm his primary teacher and that I'm always teaching. How I handle this day-to-day flurry that seems to constitute the work week will teach him to to muddle through his own future work weeks, finding joy and happiness all the while. I'm reminded of this passage from William Martin's The Parent's Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Parents:
Today is Thursday, and for most Americans (including us, thank heavens), a three-day holiday weekend looms ahead. I'm not thinking of how I will make it extraordinary, however. I'm thinking about today, a typical Thursday workday, and how I'm going to find some magic in it, and share that with my son, showing him how to find his own magical moments in a typical day.
The long weekend will take care of itself!
Thank you William Martin for wise words that truly shaped my parenting.
Happy Thursday!
**This was written in about 10 minutes before sun-up. Forgive errors.
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