Morning routine

I am a morning person. The Good Doctor is not.

When he insists on setting his alarm for his day off, I'm always a bit suspicious. But with good intentions, he'll tell me that he has a lot of schoolwork to do and he wants to get a head start. Sounds like a noble ambition and a good example for your children. Go for it!

And then, since we've been married for 20 years and know each other so well, this is how it plays out:

The alarm, which is positioned right next to The Good Doctor, goes off. He doesn't wake up. I kick him.

Side note: This is The Good Doctor approved method of wake-up whether the cause be snoring, an alarm clock, or an intruder in the night. I started out our marriage by pinching his nose shut. He didn't like that. So the kick-method was his idea.

He hits the snooze. He rolls over. And goes back to sleep.

I am now wide awake but tell myself that I will be able to go back to sleep if I just try hard enough.

The alarm goes off again. I am still awake. The Good Doctor is not, nor does he wake up. I kick him again. I ask The Good Doctor, since you are getting up, would you please unlock the front door and turn the lights on for the neighbor who comes to our house for his ride to school? He agrees, hits the snooze, rolls over, and goes back to sleep.

After the third round of this procedure, I get up, unlock the front door, turn on the light for the neighbor, do a load of laundry, send the kids off to school, intervene in at least two squabbles, wash the breakfast dishes, get a shower, get dressed, and start school with the kids left behind.

Then The Good Doctor gets up. He has a lot of schoolwork to do, you know.