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Posts from the ‘Self-Motivation’ Category

Jan 24

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Schedules and Child Care

Our first was born in the thick of the “feed your infant when they cry” philosophy, based on the reasonable premise that a baby knows when he/she needs food for that tiny little tummy. Part of this philosophy was that the youngster would settle him/herself into a routine.

The proposition sounded like a great experiment, so I made a chart: days and times on which I could color code blocks for eating, fussiness, sleeping, and contentedness. After several weeks, it was clear that no pattern was emerging; the chart was put away and we began moving toward a family schedule. Read more

Jan 8

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Clean Cup Cleaning

The elegant dining room held a full wall of built-in cherry wood cabinets designed for a stunning array of fine china and silver; the interior lighting allowing the gold-rimmed dishes, silver bowls, and trays to shimmer and sparkle behind their glass doors. The display cabinets, tastefully carved table, and comfortable leather chairs all spoke of evenings of fine conversation and fine eating, so the offer of tea from the beautiful dishes was an invitation readily accepted and delightfully anticipated. Read more

Jan 7

Mrs. Stahlman’s Calendar

When we first met the Stahlmans, they were already old and retired, he from public school science teaching and she from teaching dietician courses at the local university. Her calendar hung in the bathroom behind the toilet, an inauspicious location for such a noteworthy calendar. The pictures were the typical calendar flowers, but the year was not the current year—not even close. No dated square was empty. In fact, every square was full of entries in Mrs. Stahlman’s thin, spidery hand: every name followed by a two-digit shorthand indicating a year. Read more

Dec 21

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Daily Dose 62: Marathon

Who practices more, the runner for the 100 meter dash, or the runner for the marathon? Real runners for either of those races would both practice a great deal. The difference is not how much they practice, but how they practice, because the needs of the races are very different.

The sprinter goes as fast as he or she can, every  muscle primed for that burst of speed. Allowing any one to pass imperils their chance of winning. Marathon runners must pace themselves, preserving energy for key times in the race. Another runner leading even helps set a good pace, until it’s time to pull ahead.

So, life is more like which—a sprint or a marathon? We’d all agree there are sprinting moments, but life itself is much more like a marathon. Read more

Dec 20

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Daily Dose 61: 5 O’Clock Quitting Time

Mom was a simple, straight forward stay-at-home mom, at the time when every mother stayed home. Our one car went to work with our dad. The milk man, the bread man, and the insurance man all routinely came to our home, the side door. The first two left FOOD, which greatly interested us as children; the third came to collect money, which held no interest for us whatsoever.

Our first teenage babysitter came one night when I was probably in fourth or fifth grade. Other than that, Grandma Wilson appeared for a week or so whenever a new baby was born, or mom was home with us. My dad even did the grocery shopping every other Friday night (on payday, it turns out) after coming home for dinner and picking up one of the children for their turn on the shopping adventure.  Read more

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