Morning magic

The weekend warriors can keep their laundry lists of elaborate plans. Our Dad’s Dispatch columnist prefers to ease into his days off

I admire families that can leave their homes before 9 a.m. on the weekend. As I look out my kitchen window, bleary-eyed and still in my PJs, I watch in awe as they whiz past our house on the bike path, raising my coffee cup in saluting their weekend get-up-and-go.

I’ll join my family on the couch, poke my nose in the Saturday newspaper, maybe play a game of Wordle and probably have a second cup of coffee. There is no rush, and I feel like my wife and son are in the same gear.

These days, this is my simple pleasure.

It gives me so much joy because for more than six years the weekend morning began with a bustle. Breakfasts needed making. Teeth needed brushing. Swim gear needed packing. The boy needed driving. Lessons awaited. We needed to move. 

Our family experienced an interesting scheduling switch earlier this year. The swimming lessons and gymnastics classes started later in the morning, freeing up about four or five hours of having nowhere to be.

It was jarring at first. I just paced the house. Surely there was a bread that needed immediate toasting or swimming goggles requiring hasty finding. Eventually I simply sat down. How novel!

I’m pretty sure I’m not hardwired for early mornings. Growing up, holiday gatherings almost always lasted well past midnight. The house, with three boys all separated by four years, was lively through the night and quiet in the morning, with the exception of the minor hockey years (those 6 a.m. practices were unideal for this hardwiring).

Before we had Miles, Nicole and I could easily laze around the house until late morning. The gym and chores were afternoon activities.

I researched tips for becoming a morning person. As it turned out, I am not one to, as a February 2023 advice column in the New York Times suggested to lollygaggers, “switch on a lamp as soon as the alarm goes off” or jump to my feet when my eyes first open.

Time was a blur in Miles’s baby years. Mornings in the toddler years were early and ultra-active. Weekend activities landed on the calendar and we were at pools, gymnasiums and soccer fields with coffee in tow.

Now, Miles calculates he’ll need two breakfasts before hitting up our first activity of the weekend. 

I sometimes regret that our family doesn’t have morning gumption. I’m sure it would be wonderful to grab breakfast and hit up a farmers market as the dew evaporates in the early morning air. How fun it would be to load up the bikes and ride along the Ottawa River with a basket prepared with picnic treats. Maybe stop at a park. And all before the first lesson, practice or game.

Or, I could lay in bed for a few minutes before I open the blinds, putter down the stairs and sip my coffee while watching families seize the day. That’s a solid weekend morning.

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