I'm sure you noticed that Book Woman Blog has been completely silent since Christmas time. Well, I was pretty busy with a few things. The most time consuming activity I took part in was being baptized by fire into the world of teaching. BY FIRE.
Yeah, I was a 3rd grade teacher for 3 months--and did I mention I've never been trained as a teacher before? Lord, have mercy. I have so many anecdotes and bits of wisdom I learned from my time with silly kids and awesome teachers, and I hope to share them all here eventually!
But today I will just share some simply joy with you. I'm rejoicing because I took the last couple weeks to focus on making new habits, and I am finally beginning to notice the positivism they are bringing to my life.
When I was suddenly in a full time teaching job in January, I quickly developed a routine fueled by my exhaustion. I felt like I had no time. I woke up, rushed to get to work early enough to hurriedly prepare things for the day, used planning time to hurry some more, rushed to my car through the rain after school, rushed through my homework, ate dinner, etc. etc. etc., and fell into bed where I stared at my phone until I went to bed. I didn't read. I didn't write. I didn't exercise. I would sometimes sit on the couch for an hour and watch "This is Us" and sob before heading to sleep.
I felt like I had no time for the things that I liked to do, but recently I realized that I indeed had the time, but I was filling it with terrible habits--like getting on Facebook after school or in bed, or turning on the TV for background noise and getting sucked into a show.
I deleted my Facebook app from my phone, and lately, instead of collapsing into bed and immediately getting on my phone until my eyeballs burn and then going to sleep, I've plugged my phone in and picked up my book. I've read far past my bedtime, and my dreams have been extremely vivid--like they used to be when I habitually read before bed each night.
I wake up just as tired as I did before. I wake up to the same constant drizzle and dark, cloudy skies as before. (Though the sun is starting to come up earlier lately--hurrah!) But I go to sleep in the mood that only a book can put me in, and it makes waking up easier! Even if I'm still tired no matter what time my alarm goes off.
And instead of again checking Facebook for 10 minutes before dragging myself out of bed, I open up my handy iPhone and click on a nifty Rosary app I found, and I pray along with that for 20 minutes while I get ready.
Starting the day so peacefully has been a life changer and a life saver. I don't feel so rushed in the mornings. I get up at the same time...but I actually have time to make breakfast now. I don't feel like a crazy woman running out of the house anymore. I play soccer fetch with Delta to her giddy delight, and cuddle Bobo before tucking both those pups into their kennels for the day.
I can only attribute this sense of unrushed peace in my mornings to the grace of prayer.
I couldn't have made it the last few weeks without making these small changes in my daily routine at home.
Start your day in peace, end it with a good book that you can't put down, and perhaps you'll feel as joyful as I have lately.
Now I just need to work on calming the crazy during that big chunk of time between the morning and bedtime!
