Tuesday, August 28, 2012

In a Routine!

I'm really so happy to be back in a daily routine--- I operate so much better with structure to my day!  We're into our third week of school, even though some people just started and others haven't started at all yet.  I guess it's my personality.  I'm a  lazy Phlegmatic, frequently Melancholic, and a wishy-washy Choleric.  That doesn't sound very cheerful, does it?  But my husband seems to like me, and so do a few other people.  ;-)

It's the lazy side of me that loves summer vacation---who doesn't love relaxing in the A/C with a book, or relaxing by the side of the pool with a cold beverage and a book, or going on vacations, playing in the waves and sleeping on the beach?  I think I used to get to enjoy those things when my kids were little and summer rolled around.  Oh, honey, while you're slaving away at the office, I'll be at the pool chasing the kids around.  Don't envy me. ;-)  But it's not like that anymore with summertime activities and swim team.  The "schedule," if it exists, is chaotic at best.

The phlegmatic side of me really wants to be using all that free time during the summer to get some big projects accomplished, while my choleric-ness is happy to boss the kids around engage my young helpers in the tasks.  Somehow, the summer passes, the essential things get done, but not very cheerfully.  Ahem...Hello, Madame Melancholic.

Now that school, drama rehearsals, piano lessons, homeschool co-op, Boy Scouts,  and American Heritage Girls are in full swing, I can relax.  Not with bon-bons and a book, except on rare days, but I can function better because I know what the days hold.  Some days are pretty crazy, and others flow pretty smoothly because I don't have back-to-back appointments, or worse, have to bi-locate, but the basic structure is there.

Part of the problem with summer is that everyone is doing their own thing.  We all fall in to that trap of doing nothing, except for my dear husband who continues his routine of long days at the office without fail, and one of the things that falls by the wayside is family prayer time.  We're fairly sporadic about our evening prayer during the summer, and I'm sad to say we almost never pray on vacations.

In my heart, I know that there is a certain structure that would solve all of this:  prayer.  It's really past time (ha!) for me to set my alarm on my phone to remind me to prayers.  All these years with the kids I've tried to get in the habit of praying the Angelus, or the Divine Mercy chaplet, daily, but have failed. I tend to structure my days around school, appointments, and dinner, but I'm pretty sure there is a better way.

For me, I know that making my home like the proverbial Domestic Monastery would help.  What about you?

Do you structure your prayer life?  What makes your days run smoothly?  I'd love to know what tools others use to get through the days!

8 comments:

  1. I, too, would love to have a calm, prayerful routine. But having a family, with some children in college, one in school, and one at home, (and with current health issues) means I have at least one foot in the world. One day looks nothing like the next and there is not much routine about each day. We pray when we can.

    Tomorrow I have a nerve conduction test -- I'll be praying then!

    PS I have never "diagnosed" my personality. I don't want to know -- which probably means something, but don't tell me.

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    1. You know what They say about putting the Big Rocks (prayer) in first, and then all the Sand (activities) fits in around it! :-) I will pray for you tomorrow---when's your test? I watched my mom have that done. Ouch.

      You could read the book: The Temperament God Gave You which is really good. My guess is that you're a Choleric Melancholic. Melancholics don't usually want to read the book because it's overwhelming. LoL!

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  2. Daniel is back at school and I am (in theory) back to saying Anglican Morning Prayer every morning with my friend the Episcopal priest. I say "in theory" because I was sick last Thursday and she's been out yesterday and today. I managed to locate my Book of Morning Prayer and say it by myself this morning.

    Oh yeah... and I'm back in the saddle on saying the Rosary every night. The Olympics derailed me from that.

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    1. Good for you, Jen! Praying the rosary, too, and not even Catholic.

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  3. I totally relate to the whole personality thing. I am Melancholic with a good dose of Choleric and a little Phlegmatic tossed in for good measure. But no Sanguine at all, I fear.
    I try to do Liturgy of the Hours twice a day. It doesn't always happen but I try. Once the kids are back in school, daily Mass usually happens. And when those things happen, the days go better around here.

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    1. Ha! Barb, you're like me---not a bit Sanguine!

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  4. I completely understand !!! I know prayer routines would help me... you know something a bit more than "Sweet Jesus help me !!!"I was just introduced to the Divine Mercy Chaplet and I really like it. Ideally you say it at 3:00 which will be perfect for me ... since as a school teacher I cannot miss that !! A friend who is very committed to this devotion will say it at other times of day if 3 would be in the middle of a meeting or appointment. She like to figure out what time zone will be praying along with her at their 3 ! I hope you find the devotion and time that works for you :)

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    1. I love the Divine Mercy Chaplet. It's remembering the hour that is the problem; I really need to set the alarm on my phone. ANd Obey.

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Thanks for dropping by! I would love to hear from you. Have a beautiful day! :-)

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