"How many years have we been gone now?" Ailyn asked as we left for the beach.
While we have been gone from home just over a month and in Patmos for two weeks, it does feel much longer. If Israel was a marathon go going place to place, touring the country with no predictable schedule, Patmos has gone the other way and has us feeling very settled in and into the groove in the same amount of time. And it doesn't feel like we've just touched the tip of the iceberg – we've eaten at most of our favorite restaurants, all of the gelaterias and all of the bakeries. We have seen every beach and spent time at every organized (meaning it having chaise lounges and wait-service) on the island. Whenever I'm in a country with organized beaches, I don't settle for the disorganized ones. We know every shop in Skala, every path and every turn. And to steal from the Indigo Girls, we've been to the pharmacist, we've been to the mountains, we've looked to the children, we've drunk from the fountains… and we are closer to fine.
So, what does the new order look like?
Well, there is work. For Matheus, his office is on a lounge chair on the beach. He is the Director of Child Happiness and thanks to the calm, swimming pool-like water, most of his work involved applying sunscreen, providing lunch and snacks and addressing the occasional issue. Mostly, the kids swim independently and play with their sand toys. a few months ago, Matheus was concerned that the kids wouldn't be happy going to the beach every day and we strategized ideas to keep them happy and occupied. It turns out we haven't needed too many of the projects and resources we planned. They are indeed happier on beach days than the couple of days a week they stay on land and play at the park or do other activities. Sennen has proclaimed himself "Dive Master Sennen" and with his goggles, swims head down into the sea, doing flips and looking at fish, plant life or whatever else there is.
Emily and I have our paying jobs to manage. Although I do some online work earlier in the day – tending to emails and other things that don't require real-time interaction, I usually spent the late mornings on the beach with Matheus and the kids. I then join Emily at a beachside restaurant. At lunch I make the switch to eating, working, writing the blog and handling other miscellaneous aspects of life like paying bills and responding to emails – all the stuff from that damn life at home that doesn't stop just because we're away. For some reason, Tuesday has been my busiest day of the week with calls much of the afternoon and into the night. Other days have scatterings of calls – which I like to try to schedule for my late afternoon/morning on the East Coast. Mostly, it works.
On Mondays and Tuesdays, Emily gets up and gets straight to work as those are her grading days with deadlines. If she gets done early, she runs over to join the kids for a swim in the late afternoon. Wednesday through Friday are lighter days. So, Matheus gets the mornings off – usually starting work at 2pm while Emily goes to the gym and I lead "yoga class" and "Greek Mythology Time" with the kids (we read the original hardbound D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths which sometimes interests Ailyn, but absorbs Sennen). Then we get lunch, walk around and maybe go to the playground if time permits. At 2 pm, we hand the kids off to Matheus and find cafes to work – or sometimes Emily shops and finds a nice place to read. On Wednesday and Friday nights, Emily and I need up in the late afternoon to early evening to walk around town together and have a quiet dinner out. Matheus serves the kids a dinner I have left for him to stick in the oven. Wednesday and Friday afternoons, Matheus either takes the kids to one of the beaches within walking distance or the the park followed by gelato and either art projects or movie time on the iPad.
For the most part, we have switched over to "Greek Time" – staying up later and getting up late too. This morning was one of our earliest mornings at 8am. Often everyone but Sennen sleeps until 9 – he gets up between 7 and 8 and then reads books on the iPad until everyone else gets up. They are slow, quiet lazy mornings devoid of the frenetic feel of our weekday mornings at home. When we all get up, the kids don't want a cooked breakfast and usually have yogurt and fruit (two things that are especially delicious in Greece)- sometimes cereal. It's all very easy.
Even though Emily and I do the same work as at home, it somehow feels like there's a lot less stress. Perhaps it's really dropping so much of the other aspects of life. No getting kids to and from school or after-school activities, no social engagements, we eat out more, minimal errands. Emily doesn't teach at any campuses during the summer – which dramatically loosens her schedule and increases her flexibility. In short, if work itself hasn't changed – the demands of everyday life have – and it's splendid.
Who knows if this will continue to be our pace the entire summer – but there's no foreseeable reason for it to change. Like many islands, Patmos has pulled us into its own orbit with its own sense of time. The momentum and pace we keep at home has no place in Patmos and cannot thrive here. It's like cutting off oxygen to a fire. When you are moving full-pace, the idea of slowing down, let alone stopping can seem insane or at least irresponsible. But somehow, not that our fire has been put out, we're not complaining. We can cool off in the summer sun.
