What do you do in the stillness?
No, there isn't time to sit down. Yes, we're sitting down.
Each weekday morning, my husband is the one who trots the babes to school. Limbs tucked into car seats, lunches and waters stowed in totes with ice packs, sunscreen smeared on faces, and sweet little brains buzzing with anticipation for the day.
In the moments after our gold 2008 Lexus RX reverses down the driveway with its precious cargo in tow, I begin my own quiet morning ritual. It starts with a slow exhale and a wander over to my plants, growing steadily in their raised bed. I determine whether they’ll need hydration or not, and then pivot my heels accordingly, to the hose or the house.
This morning, my feet carried me inside for coffee and cereal and blueberries and almond milk and the comfiest spot on the couch. It’ll rain later today. Its been raining. The air is damp and quiet, like how I imagine it feels in a tiny library or post office in a sleepy coastal town. A deflated “2” balloon rests backwards on the chair across from me, looking more like an “s,” as scattered birthday toys punctuate the tranquil elegance of our 1940s living room. I’m reminded that this stillness is temporary and a tradeoff. Its time to go to work.
I’ll give myself 10 more minutes to exist in this liminal space: where my dulcet mothering voice can rest before it transitions to Corporate Carly, where my mosquito bitten ankles and toes with the polish chipping off remind me that I live a rich life upon grass and dirt, and where the pages of this Substack feel so real I could thumb them and doodle swirls and hearts around their borders.
Just a few more seconds, now.
Q: What do you do with the quick moments you have to yourself in this season? What rituals do you have in place that you love?
Thanks for reading this shorter post today! Here is some other work I’m reading and recommending this week:
5-min read: This essay and its “glass vs plastic” balls metaphor scratched an important itch. As a hyper independent person, I do in fact need constant reminders to let some things go.
7-min read: Author Stephanie Murray compiles and comments on relevant research studies around the topics of family life, childhood, maternal health, etc. and I love some of the juicy contradictions it surfaces! This piece in particular resonated with me in the daycare vs home care dilemma.
12-min read: Rachel knocks it out of the park with this one. Actually? She tears down the ball park entirely and builds a beautiful matriarchal community that better suits the basic and entirely overlooked biological needs of women - especially women working 9-5 jobs as well as caregiving. Give it a read when you have some time to get really mad and/or inspired.
My morning ritual is a latte delivered from my husband, snuggled into the couch with our baby girl while we both enjoy our morning beverages 💕