Routines

Sometimes things sneak up on you. I have mentioned recently that my wife and I bought a dog. We gave a home to a young dog from a rescue shelter. We have had it now for a few weeks. It is wonderful.

It is also having an effect on my routine. For instance, for months now, my routine has been to get up of a morning, take my shower, and sit down at the computer and write something for this very blog. It does not work that way every day, but most days I am successful at building something.

This morning the realization hit that things are going to have to change. Exactly how they will change I am not certain, but I have an idea.

The dog has taken up residence in our room at night. That means the dog must go out first thing of a morning. Admittedly, my wife takes our dog out most of the time, but I do not want her to feel she must be the only one to take the puppy out. I try to jump up first two or three times a week.

Now keep in mind we are a household of four humans and two pets. The young boy does not need a shower of a morning, preferring a bath of an evening, but does use the bathroom in the morning. I usually shower first because my wife drinks coffee first thing and I do not.

Since we acquired the canine, I am sometimes putting the finishing touches on my Pulitzer Prize winning work when my wife is ready for her turn. I tell her to leave the “nearly housetrained” dog with me.

Because the “nearly housetrained” dog is not “fully housetrained”, my wife has started to insist that I come downstairs and be with the dog instead of leaving the dog upstairs with me while I finish my work. What that means is that I cannot post a blog first thing in the morning.

This is not my wife’s fault. To be real, it is not the dog’s fault either. The dog is just being a dog. My wife is trying to get her day started. It makes sense that I move a little faster and spend a little more time with our newest family member.

Where does that leave my writing? I work nine hours, not counting a half-hour one way commute. That’s ten hours out of the day. When I come home, we eat supper together as a family and then do “whatever needs to be done.” Sometimes that “whatever” is homework. Sometimes that is school functions, like band concerts or open houses. Sometimes it is paying the bills or just watching a favorite show on T.V. with my son or daughter.

Sometimes “whatever” is taking the dog for a walk or playing fetch. All that “whatever” leaves writing low on the list of things to do in the evening.
I love to write. It is my favorite thing to do. It is taking the ball of clay and making something that is alive. Yet, writing takes time. In the morning, my mind is fairly clear and I can make sense of the ideas. Of an evening, thoughts of the day make the mind scramble.

I am still going to try to post each day to this blog. I was going to try to post to four blogs regularly, but I knew weeks ago that it was too much. There is a new routine to be found. It will present itself eventually.

Sometimes things sneak up on you. Pets enter your life. Daughters earn their drivers licenses. Sons wake up.

I have a son who will be turning nine this month. For years, when there is little to say, I have heard him go on about jokes he remembers from “Jimmy Neutron” and “Fairly Oddparents”. The latest thing he enjoys quoting is old Bob Saget jokes from “Funniest Home Videos”.

But now my son is beginning to show signs of waking up. Tonight, we were riding home from pizza. It was just the two of us in the car. He says, “Dad. Did you hear about the tornado in Kansas?” I had read about it but patiently listened to my son explain the damage the area received. He showed concern for the people of the area and marveled at the size of the storm.

Still, he is just a boy. He admitted that it was funny that it was a “tornado in Kansas” just like in the “Wizard of Oz” books he has been reading.

My son is starting to take notice of the world. I remember when my daughter was that age and was reading about Anne Frank and having great interest in Bible stories and historical figures. She wanted to know about real things and grew away “children’s stories.”

Now my daughter is a young woman thinking about college and other aspects of her future. My son is starting to realize there is a world outside of computer generated movies and video games.

I am starting to realize that there will be time enough to write and make my postings.

If you notice that I have missed a day or so, do not worry. It may be because I am walking the dog or at a band concert or simply playing a game of “Sorry” with my son. Soaking up the inspiration of my family gives me more perspective and makes me a better writer.

Just remember that I will be back soon enough. The days with each of my family, even the dog, are preciously numbered. After all, computers may never go away, but family memories keep you warm forever.