Hello, friends!
Last week I wrote about how becoming a "Dog Dad" has changed some of my daily rhythms. One of the other changes this Fall has been to weekly rhythms, particularly my Sabbath rhythm. This one has some to do with a dog and more to do with a JoJo.
Both Megan and I take Mondays as a Sabbath. It used to be that we would wake up in the morning, head our separate ways, and be back together for dinner to share about our Sabbath experiences. Of course, that all changed with kids and really changed once they started school. For the past few years, it was one of us taking either the morning or the afternoon and then swapping around lunch time.
Last year, we tried a new rhythm to try to change the timing a bit. I would get up early and do part of my Sabbath until it was time for the older kids to go to school. Then, Megan would take the older kids to school and JoJo and I would hang out until the early afternoon. Sometimes we'd go to the zoo. Sometimes we'd take the bus to the trampoline park. Sometimes we'd go to the library. Sometimes, we'd just stay at home. Then Megan and I would swap and I'd take the second half of my Sabbath time. It worked out well enough.
However, we had a new wrinkle in the timing of everything when Jonah started pre-school. Added to that, with Phoebe, me getting up earlier to go downstairs and do Sabbath stuff wasn't going to work. Once she heard me, she was going to want to be up. My options were to either get up earlier like it was a work day (not exactly the most restful of options) or get up later and we switch things up.
The new rhythm seems to be working well. I get up later than I used to (extra sleep? Count me in!) and get the kids (and dog) ready for the day. Megan heads out for her Sabbath as soon as she's up. I take the kids the older kids to school (with JoJo in tow), head home to let out Phoebe one more time, then take JoJo to pre-school. I then have 2 hours to chill before picking up JoJo, grabbing some lunch, and heading home for his "resting time." Megan and I will then switch and I'll have the afternoon.
Do you know what my favorite part of the new rhythm is? It's not getting up later, although that's great. It's not a more time in the afternoon, although that's also great. It's not even having an extra chunk of time in the late morning while JoJo is at pre-school. It's not the run to Burger King for lunch that JoJo insists we do every week. My favorite part of the day is picking up JoJo from pre-school.
JoJo's preschool has one door in and one door out so there's a bit of a logjam at pickup. The teachers have all the kids sit on a rug and the parents enter single file to pick up their kids. Usually, I can spot JoJo before he spots me, mainly because he's looking longingly at the other kids around him who are getting picked up by his parents. Those 3 seconds when I see him, say, "JoJo!", he turns towards me, and his face lights up because he knows that he wasn't forgotten and that he's going home, is the highlight of my day. To be loved by your kiddo like that, to be seen as safe and to be happy to be seen, is something that I love and will never get tired of it.
This new rhythm will just be for the year. After this, JoJo will go to elementary school and his rhythm will change again. But for now, we've got a good thing going and I don't mind it one bit.
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
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