Learn to Adjust Routines
I've become very open to adjusting my routine to accommodate the new reality.
Several days ago, my two-year-old son turned into Ethan Hunt, the protagonist from the Mission Impossible movie series. He managed to scale his crib walls and jump right out. It was a hilarious event, which my wife managed to capture on camera for us to witness. And He didn't do this just once. He did it three times. I would put him down in the crib and he would just climb his way out a few minutes later. We eventually placed his mattress on the floor and had him sleep there to prevent him from getting injured with his acrobatics. It was a funny encounter and I'm kind of proud to see my son develop these new skills that will come in handy one day for his career as an assassin. However, my son's new sleeping arrangements presented us with another new routine to get used to. In fact, for a few days now, he seems to be waking up even earlier than usual. And he seems to want us to retrieve him from his bedroom in the morning more quickly than before.
My young son is changing all the time. That's a good thing. I want him to develop as a human being. However, because of the frequent changes, there is no such thing as a permanent routine. You might have some sort of routine going for a few weeks or a few months (lucky you), until something new happens where you will need to adjust the routine again. That's OK. This is to be expected and it's something to be accepted.
For a while, my morning routine was to get out of bed early and spend time with the Lord in prayer before my son wanted me to retrieve him from his room. Since he has started to want to be retrieved much earlier, I've been unable to start my day right away with prayer. But that's OK. I anticipate changes like these and I've become very open to adjusting my routine to accommodate the new reality. In this case, instead of going right away to God in prayer, I would retrieve my son from his room and we would have breakfast together. I can go into prayer later after breakfast while my son plays by himself or when he goes off to daycare.
As a modern monastic with a young child, it's pertinent for me to make necessary adjustments when it comes to when and where I'll be praying and meditating. I shouldn't be frustrated about this. In fact, there will be more changes to come in the future that will require more adjustments on my part. I see these as opportunities to continue exercising discipline. It would be so easy for me to say that the routine got messed up and I could therefore skip spending time with God altogether. Instead of letting the disruption to routines get the best of you, anticipate that there will be changes at some point in time and get ready to adjust to meet the new reality. By doing so, you will meet the needs of the current situation while still holding on to personal commitments that you've made.
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
