Since last September, we have had three furry ones. One, sweet but sassy older girl and her two “brothers” – 2-3 year-old playful little boys. Because our older one needs medicine twice a day, each morning starts with the same familiar routine: before either of us can get ourselves a cup of coffee or a little breakfast, we have three furry ones weaving in and out of our legs waiting for snacks. The older one squawks at us from the moment we hit the last step on our way downstairs. The middle guy waits until we get near the kitchen and then begins howling. And the youngest one – who used to play it very cool – still stays pretty chill. He walks over to his spot and calmly waits for the food to be put down in front of him, but the message is clear: he’s here for the snack. Then, as soon as treats are gobbled up, the oldest wants out and away from her brothers, the middle wants someone to visit his regular feeder with him for “love crunchies” and the youngest, well, he’s ready to play.
And that’s how mornings go. Wake up. Barely have time to use the restroom. Walk downstairs. Make snacks. Feed cats. Everyone goes their own way and you can – finally! – grab yourself a cup of coffee. That’s where I am right now. Enjoying a cup of coffee while my three furry ones self-manage for a little while. If I’m honest, this is the best part of starting my day. There is something about not having to rush to work, to put on business clothes, to focus on the outside world and instead be focused on just your little family and a cup of coffee. When I sleep well, that’s one of the reasons I enjoy mornings so much.
This week coming up is a bit of a preview on how my new life will roll. Due to a potential family situation, I am not attending our firm’s three-day retreat in Houston. Instead, I will be staying home. But because I fully intended to go, I had hustled for three weeks in early April to get as many billable hours as possible. The result? I enter this week needing just about 16 hours to finish the month. Since “new me” will need about 17 hours per week, this is a good preview. And thankfully, I probably need the easier work week, given my family situation.
Still, the extra time this week is going to be welcome for many other reasons. We are trying to get a few projects completed before company comes on Memorial Day Weekend and it’s that time of the year when the yard needs cleaned up, seeds need to be planted and we continue to wind up the dregs of renovation.
But the biggest benefit of this slower week? Well, honestly, it’s that I have successfully managed my schedule so that there are no early morning meetings. That means I can plan to enjoy those mornings with kitties that I’ve come to love so much. In so many ways, it symbolizes what I want to be important in my new life: time, taking care of others, and making home a soft space to land.
So, it’s me and the triplets at 7 a.m. for the next several mornings, unless Darryl gets up before me. We will enjoy some tuna snacks all around – tunaritas to them – and tell stories. Perhaps more appropriately, they will wait somewhat impatiently for me to deliver the goods and I will comply as quickly as I can. Then, once finished, they’ll go find their own thing to do as I am no longer useful. S’okay. We got ourselves a rhythm here. We’re happy with it. And it makes the mornings such a simple joy to experience.
The Yuppie Homesteader 