Routines can sometimes feel, well, you know - routine. "THEY" say 'variety is the spice of life' - I have to say I'm about 50/50 on this one. Yes, it's good to seek out the new, the unfamiliar, to keep yourself open to new experiences, etc. But for me, rejecting routines all together leads to (my own personal) chaos. With no routine, my sleep cycle gets out of wack, my teeth get brushed 3 times a week (I'm exaggerating . . . mostly!), our kitchen stays in a state of upheaval, and I find myself rushing out the door to school with my lunch half-packed. Needless to say, I am the sort of person who benefits from having certain routines. Since starting Clinic III, Jess, Eddy and I have started to settle into a few routines like we haven't done in a LONG time. Jess and I wake up around 6-6:30, we take turns and alternate mornings to get 20 minutes or so of exercise in. Jesse gets ready for work and makes coffee, breakfast, and lunch for us all while I get The Doodle nursed, changed, and dressed. Usually by about 7am we are all sitting down to a nice breakfast together at our little kitchen table, NPR murmuring in the background. We are out the door between 7:30 and 7:45, we drop Jesse off at work, then Eddy at daycare, then I drive to Clinic, usually with a few minutes to spare so I can sip my coffee on a leisurely walk into the hospital. On days when The Doodle is not cranky/teething/defiant/hungry for "cookies", this routine works well - we're not rushed, we all eat, we all get where we need to be on time. And there's something really nice about sitting together, eating a small meal together, checking in with each other before the day begins. In this case, ritual starts to replace routine. It seems that I may need routine to keep me mentally on track and ritual to sharpen my attention to the here and now.
