Breaking the Chains of Monotony

I don’t think there is anything better in my life right now, than taking my daughter to school, and the subsequent tradition that has developed for Jack and I. I don’t know when or how we got started doing this, but I don’t really care either, because it is what helps me to get through a sometimes monotonous day filled with, “Play with this toy,” or “I’m hungry/thirsty,” or “I want to watch Diego.” Don’t get me wrong, I love staying at home and raising my son; it is really fulfilling, and Jack is such a fun little guy that is growing physically and intellectually everyday.

A couple of weeks ago, we drove to the elementary school to drop off Lucy, which should tell you two things. 1. We were running late, because the school is only 3 blocks away and we could easily walk there. 2. It had been a rough morning. Both of which were definitely true on that day. Lucy had woken up at 6, and decided she didn’t want to be alone, so she woke up Bumby as well. Now, both kids are up, which means that at least 1 adult needs to be up too; otherwise pure pandemonium can ensue before anyone is the wiser.

By the time it was ready to leave for school, only Lucy had eaten breakfast and Jack had already experienced 3 separate meltdowns. I needed to do something to shake things up and get his day off to a better start; so, I decided to do donuts. Not just any donuts, although lately it has just been the little chocolate covered Hostess donuts from Speedway, but real donuts for Busken Bakery. Jack loves the chocolate glazed ones, and I will get a chocolate glazed, custard filled donut. We will sit in their little eating area and eat our donuts and drink our milk. It is a precious time, just the two of us.

Today, we went to Speedway. We parked and headed across the parking lot to the door. Jack is holding my hand and then he starts to gallop. After a few strides he looks up at me smiles and says, “Daddy you do it.” So Bumby and I galloped to the door. People looked at us funny and then they smiled big, appreciative smiles. Hopefully they were reliving fond memories, while my son and I made our own.

It doesn’t matter to me whether we go to Busken Bakery or to Speedway, the tradition is there and once or twice a week, Jack and I make special memories and have conversations about trains, what he wants to do today, his best friends (the list seems to grow exponentially and often includes the neighbor’s dog), house church, church, the speckled store, his bike, or his Mommy (who he loves very, very mucher), and his sister (who he only loves sometimes).

What I like the most about this tradition, is inspiring the people I meet to remember a time when life was simpler and to smile as they recall those precious memories. One day, I hope that Jack will be able to share the same types of memories with his children. I know that as long as my mind is solid, it will be one of the traditions that I cherish the most.