Something Different That Made A Difference!

I am a stickler for routine. I even have a fixed time to have coffee! Perhaps that is taking it too far, but it helps me feel centered. Any change in the routine makes me feel imbalanced and I feel like something is wrong, a feeling which stays with me for the whole day. 

So, I have a time for a task, and a task for a particular time. The morning routine goes fine and as per my plan until the kid wakes up and unleashes his chaos. Even then I ensure that my tasks go on as usual. 

Of late, a routine has formed in the evening, a routine which I had not planned and which, I find most unwelcome. Like every parent, I had prepared a time-table for the kid for his studies and also a fixed time for the same. This felt perfect for me, the routine-addict. But the kid is not very particular about routines. He does what he wants to, and when he wants to. Needless to say that ever since I set up the time-table, probably once or twice he followed it. Most of the days, the evenings are spent in hot debates and arguments - I informing (a polite word for shouting/screaming) the kid about the advantages of being prepared for the exams, and the kid informing me the disadvantages of 'forcing someone to study against his wish'. 

This was quickly turning into an unavoidable issue. I recently came across a poem on children by Khalil Gibran. I think every parent should read this to get a fresh and new insight about parenthood.

I think the lyrics of the poem are self-explanatory, and I will not add my own pitiful insights into this masterpiece. But this poem was an eye-opener. I, the routine-addict decided to do something adventurous - I decided to add something new to the day!

I decided to go for a walk in the evening, at the time at which the arguments would usually begin. And I must say, this was a good decision for me. 

I used to walk in the mornings before and had to put an end to it when schools and offices re-opened after the lockdown. I have to say that there is a marked difference in the morning-walk and the evening-walk. While morning-walk freshens you up and gives a much-needed boost to tackle the day, evening-walk soothes the mind and helps one to relax, reminding that most of the chores of the day are done, and likewise, most of the day has gone by too. 

October brings in cool mornings, hot afternoons, warm evenings and cool nights. At 5 in the evening, the sun was still going strong and bright, as you can see from the picture. The colony where I live has several intersecting roads and all roads have green dividers that add a surreal beauty to the area. Needless to say, I could not resist clicking some snaps and the mandatory selfie. It was wonderful to see people alighting at the tea-stall at a corner of the road for a cup and some relaxing gupshup with their friends. There is something extremely soothing about seeing people return to their homes after another day's hard work. Seeing such people today reminded me of the time when I used to work and evening was the best part of the day because it meant returning home. 

It was a walk of only about half-n-hour or so, but it was refreshing and invigorating. The usual tension of the evening did not make its presence felt, for a change. I hope to add this task to my day and make it a routine too. 

Really, sometimes change is good! 

What about the kid's studies, one might ask. Well, the kid showed us something really interesting in the evening. I do not know from where he came across this one. 

When you cannot win against your children, join them instead, right?! If he is this chill, then who am I to introduce to him, the habits of worrying and getting anxious over studies?! Instead, I will adopt a little of his one-day-at-a-time attitude, and hope that he catches up with a little of my planning-in-advance habit. 

It's all about balancing, what say!