Every Saturday and Sunday starts the same: I wake, walk and feed my dog, drink my coffee, and then head to the gym for an hour-long workout. This routine is repeated every Saturday and Sunday and I rarely deviate from it. However this weekend brought something different.

On Friday night we joined friends for a birthday dinner, followed by drinks at their place. By the time we got home it was midnight and after walking Piper, I collapsed into bed, exhausted. The next morning I slept till 8am, which for me is late – even on weekends I’m usually awake by 7am, which gives me plenty of time to do my morning routine before heading to the gym. But this day I woke late and by the time I’d walked and fed Piper, the Body Combat class I take every Saturday morning was already starting and I was still standing in my kitchen in my PJs. So I decided to enjoy my morning: I curled up on the couch with my coffee and a book of poetry.

Poetry and coffee: the perfect morning

After an hour or so of reading I got up, took Piper for another walk, and then went for a 5-mile run in the brisk morning air.

Saturday night brought a wedding and so for me this meant dancing till the final song, singing along with Love Shack – because it is impossible not to sing along to that song, and having a great time celebrating our friends’ nuptials. By the time we were home and walked Piper, it was another post-midnight bedtime.

Sunday I woke at 9am and again, by the time I walked and fed Piper, the 9:30am HIIT class I usually attend was already starting. So I brewed my coffee and curled up on my couch with my book of poetry. Piper joined me and we spent the morning reading (highly recommend These Many Rooms by Laure-Anne Bosselaar, it’s quiet and raw and a beautiful read) and writing poems.

“Mama, why are you reading when you could be petting me?”

As someone with a strong Type A personality, routines and schedules and to-do lists are something I crave. This weekend it felt good to sit on my couch under a blanket, my dog laying beside me, a good book of poetry in my hands. It reminded me that sometimes an unexpected change in plans can be a good thing, it can lead to a great experience, a new idea, or just a wonderfully quiet morning. And these things are good for my body and soul.