If you don't know this about me already, let me say, I am NOT a morning person! Ask my mother, ask my husband, ask my children. I am just a programmed Night Owl. I get alot accomplished at night and I enjoy sleeping in. This all has to do with my sleeping cycle and my sleep disorder, which is another story for another time. So, I guess you'd say that summer would have been the perfect time to have had many late nights and lots of sleeping in kind of mornings. And since I had just graduated and wasn't going to have homework, and we didn't have any hectic routines we had to be on...my summer dream was to do alot of relaxing, reading, and enjoying my summer flowers. But, then...plans changed...
You see, I usually sign my kids up for swim lessons during the summer. But last summer I noticed something -- they were kind of -- um -- over it. I mean, they loved the swimming part. They loved the pool. And the water. And they loved learning new stuff. But, they had pretty much mastered what they needed to at swim lessons. So, this summer, I decided to sign them up for Swim Team. The kicker...they would swim Monday through Friday from 6:30 - 8:00am. And this started THE DAY after they got out of school. No break. And...they would have to do it on the base, which is fifteen minutes from the base annex, where we live. Which meant, in order for my kids to swim, I was going to have to get up at 5:30 every morning to get them to swim team on time. And on top of that, my husband deployed for the summer. My friends who know that I'm not a morning person told me, "Charity, you're nuts! Craig's gone, it's ok to give yourself a break for the summer"...or, "Are you nuts!? You are going to get up that early all summer long? You hate mornings!"
But here's the deal. I don't really hate mornings! I got up early, super early, for five years when I did home daycare and had to have my home open for business at 6:30am. I used to prefer the 6am-2pm shift when I did shift work. I am not a grumpy person in the morning. I don't have to drink three cups of coffee, smoke two cigarettes or run five miles (obviously :-) to wake up. Nope, not me. I just have to want to crawl out of my cozy, warm bed. (Among a few other sleep disorder things, which I will get to another day, I promise, because I know you all really want to know more about how I sleep!) And this summer, swim team did that for me. It made me want to get out of bed; I looked forward to swim team mornings. And not just because I got an hour and a half to do what I wanted, without having to watch kids, answer to kids, or deal with kids. Although, that helped. Not just because I had an hour and a half to read a book, take a walk, or sit and talk with another pool mom, although, that too was a plus. But because, these swim team mornings were so calm. Even though there were usually about fifty kids in the pool, all you could usually hear was the quiet and constant splash, splash, splash of the water as the kids were swimming lap after lap after lap. And there is something about waking up to the bright sun beating on the blue water and watching your kids, so gracefully, glide through the pool, stroke after stroke after stroke. It was a nice way to start the day. Until of course...
Colby runs walks really fast by and jumps in, trying to splash me and get me wet!
And then laughs about it...
And then looks at me and gives me that Colby grin! But that only lasts for a few seconds, and then even the youngest member of the Maxwell Sea Hawks Swim Team is back off to swim.
And you know, it's been a week now since Swim Team has been over. A week since I had to get up at 5:30am. A week I've spent staying up late and sleeping in and "enjoying the last few days of summer". A week of not having to worry about ravenous kids who acted as if they'd eat everything in my entire kitchen (because swimming REALLY DOES do that to kids). A week of remembering how much I loved my swim team mornings. A week of being thankful that I had that routine to ground us while Craig is gone. A week of being grateful that the kids had a nice way to tire them out, give them something to look forward to, and a positive way to start their day. And...I miss it. I was happy to be up at 5:30 am. I'd do it again in a heartbeat...for those ideal Summer Swim Team Mornings.
I sure wish the base pool here was that big! I am not a morning person either, but it actually is quite nice out once I am awake- :)
Posted by: nikki | August 04, 2008 at 03:08 PM