Give Thanks for Changing Seasons & Routines

I am thankful.... for changing seasons & routines

Longer days, kids out of school, and ample opportunities to enjoy the outdoors makes summer not only fun, but a departure from our regular routines. Many of us like to stay up late and sleep in if we can. It is not easy coming in for the day and getting ready for bed when the sun is still shining, and you hear kids playing outside and people mowing their lawns.

Our routines often change in the summer. For many, it is a time of less structure and more flexibility. This summer I made a new routine to bike ride in the early morning or later in the evening. I also changed the time I go to bed to very late at night. My family has no set meal times, and I don't cook as consistently as I usually would during other seasons.

I have enjoyed this new, flexible schedule all summer long. I know that it will soon have to change and become much more structured as the new season begins. It will take some time to adjust, but it is something that I am looking forward to as well.

Routines help us to organize and manage our time. School begins and ends at the same predictable time every day. This helps students plan their days and schedule time for homework, extracurricular activities, and socializing. Adults with busy jobs have to organize their time around their work and family responsibilities. A consistent routine can help them to prioritize and make better plans to use their time wisely and most efficiently.

Having routine in our lives is healthy. It keeps us on task. It helps us to anticipate and look forward to things to come. It gives us some sense of predictabilty and control.  Routines are shaped by our priorities, responsibilities, work, school, the seasons...  We can always change them as necessary. We can also add new routines to our lives as we develop new goals and habits or encounter new or unexpected situations. I am thankful that we can have a good and healthy balance of structure and flexibility. I am thankful that changing seasons and routines can help us to organize our time and priorities. I am thankful that they can give us a sense of stability, predictability and security. And I am thankful that the changing seasons and routines help us to prepare for and anticipate good things to come!

To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring. ~George Santayana

People don't notice whether it's winter or summer when they're happy. ~Anton Chekhov

They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom. ~Confucius

 
Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved. Written by Krystal Kuehn. New Day Counseling Center


Krystal Kuehn, MA, LPC, LLP, NCC is a psychotherapist, author, teacher & musician. She is the cofounder of New Day Counseling, a family couples counseling and child teen counseling center, BeHappy4Life.com, an award-winning, self-help and inspirational site where you can find hundreds of free resources, insights & words of inspiration to change your life, and Baby-Poems.com where you can find beautiful baby poems, baby quotes, cute sayings & baby videos that will touch your heart & increase your joy & gratitude for the children you love & enjoy! Krystal also has several blogs: Be Your Best blog, Baby Poems blog and Words of Inspiration blog!


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