The day begins with me slipping out of bed, pulling on a sweatshirt over my pajamas, and heading downstairs to my favorite chair. I grab my laptop and a fuzzy blanket and sit in the dark.
The house is quiet and it’s so dark that I can’t see anything outside except the shadows of trees in our backyard.
I interact with friends on Twitter for a few minutes, as I wake, and then I start to write.
For about an hour, it’s this: darkness and quiet except for the sound of my fingers clicking across the keys.
As the sky begins to lighten, I hear the sound of my daughters, one by one, coming down the stairs.
I save my writing as a draft and close my laptop, setting it aside.
I greet each girl with a hug and we cram into my chair for a snuggle under the blanket. We talk and laugh, share “I love yous.”
By now, it’s light and I can hear their tummies grumbling.
We all hang out in the kitchen while I make breakfast. Today it’s pancakes, strawberries, bacon, and orange juice that I pour into a glass pitcher.
It’s warm, and sun is pouring across the deck. One daughter grabs a broom to sweep off leaves and sticks while another sets the table for breakfast outside. When they’re done, they cut some fresh flowers for the table from our garden and put them into a vase on the table.
My littlest girl sticks close to me in the kitchen. I lift her up so she can sprinkle chocolate chips into the pancakes. When she’s done, she turns to me and squeezes me tightly. Music is playing on my iPod and we sing along.
We all head outside to the deck to eat.
My husband, who has been getting ready for work on this summer day, joins us outside with his cup of steaming coffee. While we eat, he reads family devotions. We pray and he hugs everyone goodbye.
While the girls clear the table, I head upstairs to put on my running clothes.
By now, the girls are dressed, too.
They get their bikes and we head into the neighborhood. They’re on their bikes and I jog along beside them, then sprint ahead, stretching my legs. It’s not a linear run, and my pace varies as I circle back to keep them moving forward, but we are outside; the air is fresh and crisp; we’re moving, together; my heart rate increases and by the time we get home, I’m sweating and spent.
I get a tall glass of ice water for myself and the girls help themselves, too. We sit at the table and talk about the day ahead. I check email and respond to the most pressing ones before I head upstairs for a quick shower.
It’s before 9 am when I walk into my home office. I have enough time to publish my earlier draft and share my new post on social media channels. I write several tweets and schedule them to post throughout the day. Then I take a few minutes to prepare for a call with my first client of the day. It’s my favorite one. (If you’re reading this, and you’re my client — it’s you.)
I close my door to sounds of the girls playing happily together, knowing I will join them for a snack break mid-morning and and afternoon swim when my work is finished.
This: my ideal day begins.
My copy of Jason Womack’s Your Best Just Got Better arrived on Friday afternoon. It begins with Jason describing his ideal day. I love the idea! I am looking forward to learning from Jason’s book and discovering days like the one I described above.
Tell me something! How does your ideal day begin? How would you describe it? (If you blog about your ideal day, please return here and share in the comments. I’d love to read about it.
I am the founder/CEO of the Weaving Influence team, the author of Reach: Creating the Biggest Possible Audience for Your Message, Book, or Cause, and the host of the Book Marketing Action Podcast. I’m a wife and mom of three kids, and I enjoy running, reading, writing, coffee, and dark chocolate.
Becky,
My day is similar to yours, a nice balance between those we love most combined with meaningful work. And given that in Chicago (where I am) today the wind chills are in the teens, that whole breakfast on the deck sure sounds great!
After 50 years of working full time as a professional educator and change agent, I am enjoying the luxury of part-time work although loving what I do every day. My day begins with writing and watching the sun rise to the east through my office window in front of my desk, cup of coffee to my right. My wife is usually down the hall in her work space and we talk back and forth, sharing thoughts, opinions and plans. We usually start by 5 AM and by 7:30, I am ready for a stretch and walk out to feed the donkeys, open up the pop door so the chickens can run down the ramp, check their food and water, check the wild bird feedsrs and watch the winter ducks on the river swim upstream and dive and splash. I check in with colleagues either via phone or email, make a couple of calls to clients and see how I want to invest the rest of the day with either professional work, personal projects or maybe chucking it all and going skiing.
Becky, this sounds so perfect to me! Thank you for sharing this! Now, I’m wondering, as this is your “ideal day”… How often does it turn out just like this? I need some “how to” lessons if you’re consistently achieving this!!
I want to work/live/play in your house for a few days. A mompreneur working vacation. =) My ideal moment happens almost every morning. When I wake up my almost-nine-year-old Jeremy, he says, “I can’t get up with a snuggle first.” Maybe it’s a ploy for a few more minutes in bed, and it’s worth it.
I love the exercise of writing out what my “ideal” day looks and feels like… and I try to do it periodically. (Thanks for the reminder!)
What is neat about this exercise, it helps me become aware of the “ideals” already present that are folded into my every day, and the other areas that if I am aware of and work towards them, can in some shape or form become a part of my “ideal” day….and thus my ideal life.
I’ve also found that “ideal days” change over time – and that’s the fun of them!
Becky,
Beautiful is what first comes to mind. Perfect and inspirational for anyone that every wondered if having a family and children would be worth the journey. It is wonderful to hear your story and surely you are inspiration for us all.
Thank you for sharing your family so eloquently with us.
Warmest,
Simon
My ideal day starts with hot coffee, eggs over easy, the newspaper and the wonderfully quiet reflection on the day to come with thoughts of loved ones near and far.
Your awesome blog has been a nice addition to the start of my ideal day! Thank you Becky!
My ideal day? What a question. I get down about my career, poor blog stats, weight gained, ants crawling on the kitchen counter, but do you know what? None of that is really important. What counts is whether I used my awake time to make someone else happy. I know it’s a cliche and and a song too (Jerry Lewish telethon if you’re old enough to remember that) but I think that is the secret.