Disturbing My Peace

On the way to school this morning, Ellie and I could not find a single radio station that was actually playing music.

Not. One.

So she turned on the classical music station.

Classical as in Handel, 

not Sammy Hagar.

She and I have a thing where we listen to the classical instrumental music and set the stage of what we imagine is happening.

A bunny is chasing a butterfly then, OH NO, 

a mountain lion is now chasing the bunny!

It’s a lovely ball and everyone is dancing the minuet.

A man is ice skating on a pond. He’s about to fall down 

but he saves himself. No! He fell.

This morning the music was the soundtrack for a lovely wedding in my head of food and laughing and dancing in a grand ballroom.

I dropped Ellie off and went to the grocery store, still listening to the lovely wedding soundtrack.

I was in a peace-filled mood.

It was early.

I wanted a quick in and out at the grocery store.

No one would wait on me at the deli.

I couldn’t even see that anyone was anywhere near the deli.

No one would wait on me at the bakery even though I made eye contact with a lady pushing a cart full of goods behind the counter.

There were no checkout lanes open.

Not. One.

I had a half-full cart and had to go through the self-checkout lane where the lady on the computer screen kept telling me a cashier had been notified because I removed a full bag from the carousel before I paid.

I was really hoping to see a live cashier because other than the lady in the bakery, I had not seen a single grocery store employee my entire visit! 

And I had a few things to say.

I got back into my car and looked at the clock.

It was 8:24 am.

That is not 5:24 am crazy early.

When do grocery store employees clock in these days?

It made me think of a headline of an article I read recently about a woman fighting for a later start time for schools because “it was just too early for teenagers to learn.” 

You need to say that last line with a bit of whine in your voice.

I did.

I have to admit, I did not read the article.

I was too busy shaking my head.

I know teenagers need sleep. I have two of them and I remind them all the time to

GO. TO. BED! 

But that’s at night. When all people should be asleep. Not up texting or watching Netflix or doing who knows what.

Why do people always assume that MORNING is when all the good sleep is being interrupted?

If we all just went to bed at a reasonable time, mornings wouldn’t be so hard for teenagers or for us.

I heard on the radio that a large percentage of Americans do not get enough sleep and there are all kinds of medical and mental health issues that are stemming from it.

To wrap this rant up, fighting to have school start later in the morning won’t fix that.

Going to bed earlier will.

Making our kids go to bed and get an appropriate amount of sleep is helping them, equipping them.

The future employers of your teenagers will thank you that they can get to work on time.

And not look like something the cat urped up

doing it.

I was half-way home with all this banging around in my head when I realized that I didn’t have on the classical music anymore.

I turned it on and the feeling that I was becoming 

a ranting Dennis Miller melted away.

Kind of like those Snickers commercials when you “aren’t yourself when you are hungry” 

and end up playing football like Betty White.

Except I was Dennis Miller.

And my Snickers was classical radio.

You probably picked that up.

Sorry. 

I might need a Snickers.

It’s easy to trade in our peace for a pound and a half of Boar’s Head turkey (that I STILL don’t have) and a few cupcakes (don’t have them either).

But it’s nothing a little prayer, Bach or a solid good night of sleep 

can’t handle.