I've never liked the idea of having a "routine" or following a "schedule". Perhaps it is just a function of my desire to be non-conforming. And maybe it's just that it doesn't feel quite right for me. Over the last few years I have found the phrase "rhythm of my life" falling seamlessly into my vocabulary. Rhythm. That is the word that sits so nicely in my bones. It implies that there is a certain ebb and flow in any given moment and yet the tempo can change and the dance can continue. It allows for the many energies that make up my family to create one dynamic rhythm that we can all groove on.
There are frequently days on end when our family has fallen out of rhythm. It's like listening to the static between radio stations. It often happens when we are all moving too quickly to stop and tune us back in. But it never feels like we have failed to maintain a "routine" or follow a "schedule". It just means we have to fine tune. And that removes the intellectual analysis of how our lives are functioning. It's a feeling, a balance, a gut reaction, an intuitive sense of what is needed in the present moment.
In this moment, right now, I am feeling a little off beat. My Rx for that? Immersion. Complete and total immersion in my family. Face to face, side by side, orbiting around each other. A couple of days is ideal but often a small portion of an hour creates a harmony that can carry us through the next up tempo frenzy of our lives. Tonight I will set our dinner table with an earthy and rich Indian stew. Warmth from a spicy homemade chutney balanced with a cool, tangy yogurt. And we will sit over this meal. Facing each other while we tune out the world and tune into each other.
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