Rhthym

My Dad bought a book for me over the weekend, Apartment Therapy, which is also one of the only two blogs I read (along with Vegan Lunchbox). At this point, I think my mother has actually read more of it than I have, but I have gotten far enough to look forward to the rest. In the introduction, the author mentioned something which got me thinking. He taught for a while and found the children who excelled in school had not only a good home environment (speaking from an interior designer’s point of view) but also had good home rhythms, such as regular meals, set study times, and bedtimes.

My life has been feeling willy nilly and out of control since school started again and I think much of this has to do with a lack of rhythm. By rhythm, I don’t just mean daily routine or habit, but something deeper and more physical. I lost ten pounds in the first two weeks of school. I skipped meals, but ate too much junk food at other times to make up for it, my sleep schedule was disrupted, and I wasn’t getting my regular exercise. The dishes piled up and so did the piles of paper, laundry, and unopened mail.

My days have a rhythm now of working and resting. I ride to school in the morning and have my coffee to wake me up. I work well all morning until lunch, which I stop to eat, even if it’s only twenty minutes. I ride back and forth to east campus twice a week (six miles) and the exercise helps me sleep at night. I get home after five o’clock and rest (sleep with the news on TV) for an hour before making dinner (and doing dishes). I watch some television and relax and then do homework for two hours before bed. I’m slowly cleaning the accumulated mess, five and ten minutes at a time. This is a simple rhythm and it’s helping. Physically I feel much better.

I’m finding my natural rhythm.