I wake up each morning to a radio tuned to NPR. Actually, I used the term “wake” pretty loosely in that sentence. Let’s say that I become “vaguely re-aware” of the world sometime between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m., at which point I promptly quash the soothing voices of the NPR newscasters with a sleepy swipe at the snooze button.
He wakes with a couple of slow blinks, his head turning side-to-side. He turns a sober eye on his awakener and takes a breath or two. Suddenly, his whole body erupts into a spastic, joyful grin. His feet kick up in the air and his eyes light up.
My husband knows better than to expect me to deviate from one or two preset utterances before I’ve had my coffee. And making a joke is out of the question for at least the first 10 minutes…
Within minutes of opening his eyes, he’s laughing and squealing with delight at seeing the faces of the people he loves most in the world.
I wake most days thinking, “Ugh. I have to… and I have to… and I have to…”
He seems to wake most days thinking something along the lines of, “Oh, man! I get to… and I get to… and I get to…!”
There are so many things I want to learn (and unlearn) from loving him.
Very clever post! It was fun to read (twice!). 🙂
love the contrasting perspectives and the ending of positivity!
What a great contrast in approaching the day! I’m glad you are learning from him. He looks like a delight!
I can so relate. I want quiet for about 30 minutes upon waking. Thank you for this slice.
Wouldn’t it be fun to kick your feet up in the air upon awakening. Just for fun I might try it tomorrow. 🙂 Nice contrast between I have to and I get to. Sweet that baby joy.
Oh, I’m definitely going to try it this weekend! I think it might make a difference in the whole day… 🙂
So very precious! Makes me want to completely change the way I wake up. I remember my own boys when they woke up as babes – full of wonder and anticipation. Wow. This is so beautiful. I just read it to my husband who said, OH WOW, too.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing! “Suddenly, his whole body erupts into a spastic, joyful grin.” I love this line…my daughter does the same thing…I can just picture that face as I read your words.
I love to pay attention to how children wake up – I think it says so much about who they are.
My daughter used to have to be snuggled upon awakening – her eyes were open but she didn’t really wake up until she was touched. Same now, at 27.
My son, on the other hand, used to lie in his crib and giggle. We all had to come in to see what was so funny, got our attention every time.
I love this “I get to…” instead of “I have to…” idea – I am absolutely going to try it. I think it might make all the difference in how I approach my day.
Oh the things we get to learn, unlearn, and experience again through the eyes and attitudes of our children. 🙂