EDLM Diary
October 1st, 2019
My Tuesday morning started off early, as all of my Tuesdays and Thursdays do. I was up at 5 AM to head to the gym and play basketball. I was particularly tired this morning after opting to watch too much of the Monday Night Football game, but I hate missing my cardio workouts. Who knows how much longer I will be able to play basketball at a high level (I’m 38!) so I want to take advantage of all the time I’ve got.
Basketball was good. Not only a good workout, but I played well and was with good company. Always a good way to start the day. I try to get home by 7:15 to help my wife when my two children wake up. Today, I have to take them to get their flu shots at 9, so that should be interesting.
The kids were in a good mood and behaved well this morning, which always reduces my stress level. Now, it’s off to the doctor to “reward” them for their good behavior, haha. We have been talking to our daughter about this shot and attempting to prepare her. Our son is too young to know what is getting ready to happen.
The kids handle their shots incredibly. Our daughter was very brave and didn’t even cry. Our son cried for about 30 seconds and that was it. Now I am off to take them to my mom’s house. She watches the kids every Tuesday.
After dropping the kids off, I actually head back to the gym. I only get to the gym two days a week, but I get in twice on those days. I also use my workout time to not listen to music, but sermons, podcasts, and teachings that help me in my line of work.
I get in a good workout before heading home to shower up and prepare for my two meetings this afternoon. I have one meeting with our discipleship director to talk about a new ministry we are starting next week, and then I am meeting with a friend and pastor of another church to talk through what doing shared ministry might look like. These two meetings will take up the bulk of my afternoon.
My meetings end around four. They both went well. I am a bit mentally drained as my early morning is catching up with me and both conversations were exhausting, in a good way. There is a lot going on in our church right now with new ministries, and questions about what the future looks like for us, so it is an unusually heavy time.
After my meetings, I pick up my kids and let them play on my parents swing set for a while. They are in a good mood and we are having fun. It’s hot. 91 degrees in October? We dip our feet in the pool to cool off. We head home to meet my wife and get dinner ready. This is usually the time I start to get really tired and have to be very intentional being present with my children and not getting short with anyone.
Luckily, it’s a good night and the kids behave well, and we have fun playing some games and listening to music. They go to bed without too much resistance, which is all we can hope for at this point in life.
By the time the kids get to bed, I am at the point where I can’t think or function any more. I have a headache. My body is telling me that it’s time to go to bed. It’s only 9:15, but when my body talks to me, I am wise to listen.