Seasonal Graces

Confessions of a reluctant audiobook convert

Ruby and I snuggled up for an audiobook listen.

Greetings friends,

How’s your summer? I was delightfully surprised at how long June stayed on the cooler side here in Idaho. At this time of year, I’m grateful for every day that doesn’t break 100, and thankfully, we haven’t had one yet. I know other parts of the country have been struggling, so I hope this letter finds you comfortably cool!

I’ve been in school all summer, but I’ve managed to write a few stories for the mission organization I write for, and I recently wrote an article sharing some of my favorite family audiobook recommendations for Wallflower Journal. So, I thought today I’d share a bit about my reluctant conversion to audiobooks.

I confess I used to be a bit of a snob when it came to audiobooks or eBooks…or really anything that wasn’t sandwiched between two flaps with those wonderful grainy pages I could turn. I broke down one year and asked for a Kindle for my birthday. The appeal of traveling with an eReader became irresistible. No regrets either. Those backlit words on a plane at night or in a hotel, while the kids sleep, are golden.

The audiobook crossover took a little longer, especially when it came to my children. We’ve always been big advocates of reading aloud to our kids and encouraging them to read on their own. We homeschooled exclusively for several years, and I read countless books aloud to my three boys in that season. We listened to audiobooks in the car but using them as a replacement for reading aloud was unthinkable to me. But alas, the times have changed.

Our particular family dynamic includes a larger age gap between our last two children. My youngest son is six years older than our daughter, Ruby, and things look different than they did a decade ago. Our kids now attend a hybrid school: brick-and-mortar three days a week, and home two. We have a son in college and two sons in high school who are competitive climbers. I’m also a college student and a freelance writer…you get the point. Life is full and busy. Often, it’s just me and my daughter around the house or in the car, and in this season, the true grandeur of the audiobook has revealed itself.

Reading aloud in the morning or at midday is fantastic for me. At night? Not so fantastic. I’m a morning gal. I’m up early with energy to spare, but each hour past 6 P.M. I’m on a slow decline. Unfortunately, with our current life rhythm, evenings are often the only hours left in the day to read to my daughter. And folks, sometimes I just can’t do it. Ask my sons. I tried this in the early days. On more than one occasion (okay, many occasions) I fell asleep mid-sentence. Even in the middle of Pride and Prejudice for goodness’ sake, which is just about my favorite classic ever.

What to do? Bring in audiobooks. Not only do Ruby and I listen to them on the way to ballet class or swim lessons or errands, but we sit at the dining room table in the afternoon or evening and color while we listen to stories. Sometimes we just curl up on the couch, too. Being a fellow listener instead of the narrator made a huge difference for me. I want Ru to be exposed to great fiction, but in the evening, it became one more thing I needed to check off the list when I was already spent by the day. This has flipped the script. Now, it’s something I get to enjoy alongside her. It’s a little thing, but it has become a grace for the season.

I think this is important. After 51 years of life and 19 years of parenting, I can affirm the saying that the only constant in life is change. What worked yesterday, won’t necessarily work today. I need to be flexible and gentle and creative with the turning of the seasons and accept the graces available to me. Perhaps we can call these seasonal graces…like ordering groceries online and then having some nice person stick them in the trunk of my car. There are no words for how much I love that one, but I digress.

What’s your current seasonal grace? Do you have a life hack that is getting you through and winning the day? Or is there one at your disposal but you’ve been reluctant to embrace it because you are stuck in former ways? I suggest, maybe it’s time to grab hold.

If you are an audiobook convert (or were smarter than me and loved them from the get-go), the article I wrote for Wallflower Journal has some great suggestions for road trips (or evening coloring sessions) that are enjoyable for all ages.

Also, if you have your own book recommendations, please do share. I’m always up for new suggestions…no matter what format they come in.

Be blessed. Stay cool!

Tiffany