What I enjoy most about the sabbatical surprised me.
I thought the best gift would be great sleep (and that’s definitely part of it–this shift worker is sleeping with full-on REM and loving it!).
But having the gift of slower mornings has helped me recognize all of the small things I’m grateful to experience every day.
I now have the privilege to stop and notice things that I would otherwise have considered nuisances when I was rushing to get out the door.
My favourite of these is brushing my daughter’s hair every morning.
My six-year old inherited her grandmother’s thick hair.
Before I splurged and bought her a silk pillow-case, she used to routinely wake up with hair all askew–like a nest a raccoon-hopped-up-on-espresso had dug its paws into. And the tangles! What a mess! I would send her to school with unintended — what’s that hair technique that people use to give instant volume to hair-dos? –yes, that!
Poof galore!
Now that I can finally focus on one thing at a time, I really enjoy sitting on the edge of the tub and giving her a warm hug while she wakes up from her sleep.
Then I brush her hair.
Swoosh.
Swoossh.
Swoooossshhh.
Instant calm.
When I told my daughter I loved the sound of brushing her hair, do you know what she said?
She shared her own favourite sound: scraping the butter knife against a freshly toasted slice of bread!
Love it!
Bread for the win!
Question: “What’s your favourite slow morning sound?”
and
“What sounds of medicine do you like?” (I really love the sound/tactile feeling of shoulder reduction clunks. Oh, and the sharp snap of the medical vial of fentanyl being opened!)
