On my way into work on a blustery cold morning without a spec of sunlight yet pinking the horizon, I succumbed to a bit of wistfulness as I drove past houses that didn’t yet have their lights on.
Back in 2011, that would’ve been me.
My husband and I both shower at night because of my allergies, so we could get up at 7:15 am, enjoy a cup of coffee and our breakfast smoothie while we watched the birds and squirrels in our backyard. We even bought bird feeders and heated bird baths to bring more creatures to our yard.
We then left for work at 7:50 am, each of us making it to work with plenty of time to spare. No rush. No frantic frenzy.
I didn’t bother packing a lunch because I lived close to work and came home every day. My husband made his lunch in less than five minutes.
At night, we made supper in a leisurely fashion, ate in front of the TV, and gamed or read books for the rest of the evening. We considered 11 pm a reasonable bedtime, though 11:30 or midnight was not uncommon. Weekends saw us indulging in our night owl preferences, and we’d regularly go to bed at 2 am then sleep until 10 am.
I start work now before I was even awake back in 2011. My husband and I get up at 5:15 am because there are four lunches to pack. We have to make sure the kids are dressed, their hair combed, and they eat breakfast. Backpacks to remember and the car to load.
I then head to work while my husband finishes up the morning routine, wrangles the kids into the car, and drives them to school.
While I start work earlier than I ever have, I don’t get home much earlier as I have pick-up duty. As hard as the kids are to get into the car and off to school, they are equally hard to gather up and bring home.
Then comes the emptying of lunches, going through paperwork from school, and making dinner while I fuss at the oldest to do her homework.
Why does a 1st grader even have homework?!?
Our house is anything but quiet ever. Once we could hear owls hoot. Now, we’d be lucky to hear a locomotive driving down our street.
There are also a lot more hugs, a lot more cuddles, and a lot more love.
Things may be hectic and messy, and I will never fit in with the dance moms, but the noise and chaos are part of this phase of our life. A part of having young children. And while I will never like mornings, I do love the grin on my daughter’s face as she runs out to hug me when she wakes up.
So many changes.
Makes me wonder what life will look like in 2025.
I’m guessing more changes.