N has done a fantastic job of getting Z on a schedule without becoming one of those moms who essentially follows her kid around with an egg timer. I luck out further in that my classes are morning and late afternoon, so my turns with Z include easy duties like lunch and nap. Here is what my days look like all week:
8am wake up. (Wait, what? The day's half over by 8am. If it's any consolation to my coworkers, I'm jet lagged AND still sleeping off the year, so 8am is actually 3am. And feels like it.)
8:30am depart teacher housing and walk to Aura fitness center, a 25 minute walk.
9-9:45am guided group warmup.
10-11:30am wall climbing class
11:45-1:30pm feed Z and take him outside to play.
1:30-2:30pm lunch with Z and N, usually on the floor of the training space.
2:30-4pm mind Z. He naps for most of it.
4:30-6pm Aerial rope class.
6:30-7:30pm guided group cool down.
By 8pm each night I'll be back in the teacher housing, which so far has been the time when N and I catch up with the other teacher, who taught us both the year we first met in another circus training program. It's very cozy - here is a picture of our common room and the view from our window - and a lot of Cadbury hot chocolate is consumed.
The sun goes down around 11pm this time of year in Northern Ireland, so it's very easy just to sit there and enjoy the long days. N and I have a knack for finding each other just when we are both poised to make some kind of leap forward in life, and just attaching to one another like helicopters refueling in mid air. For a solid week we will bounce ideas off each other and get a chance to see, by the other's gaze, how far we've come since last time. This is among my most treasured and certainly my most sacred friendships. I was with N the year she navigated a new long-distance relationship and got engaged. I was the scripture reader in her wedding. I can't describe how it feels to hold her child. He is a soft-skinned, round-headed, joyful baby who reminds me of my youngest sister. I enjoyed my sister so much that when I got her down for a nap I missed her and would just watch her sleep.
Photo of the Aura leisure center
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