Solitude

Do you ever feel like you strain to find a bit of time to yourself?

As dads, I think we experience this problem but in a much different way than stay at home moms.  We fall victim to the rush of moving from one very different activity to another.  AM with the kids -> Off to work -> Work projects and meetings -> Back home -> Evening routine -> Gas tank empty -> Wake up and start again.

It is so easy to snub out the 10, 15, 20 minutes of solitude we need each day to better prioritize our activities and get the most out of each day.

I ran across Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People card in my wallet today.  I am not a religious practitioner of the 7 Habits but I make a point to follow his advice as best as possible.

I found a simple way to ensure I get the 20 minutes of solitude I need to get ready for each day – My bicycle commute to and from work.  I didn’t think the process of riding to work would be anything more than a short workout and indirect way to save money on gas.

Boy was I wrong.  The AM and PM commute to and from work continues to provide me a range of added benefits.  The solitude to think for a few minutes before the insanity of the day begins may very well be the best part.