I sip my morning brew and stare out the window waiting for my mental faculties to spring to life. “Spring” may be a strong word. Perhaps “casually saunter in with its own blurry eyes and half-filled coffee cup” would be more apt.
There are children on my lawn. They aren’t my children. They are neighborhood children going after the ball that went too far in the wrong direction. If I were any of my brothers I’d already be out there with a grimacing look and a garden hose. But I’m me, so I head back to the kitchen.
I love Starbucks frappuccino but I can’t afford the calories so I make my own with a shot of espresso and an almost sugarless chocolate soymilk. I never thought much about the process I went through getting to just the right mix for just the right flavor, but it occurred to me this morning I could measure my day by the number of times I brew my concoction. I suppose coffee drinkers do something similar with each tip of the pot.
Everything is ready of a morning so I can go about my business without opening my eyes. It’s rather Zen-like the way I prepare for the person I’ll be the next day, the disheveled lady who isn’t firing on all cylinders until she’s been awake for at least an hour. Mine is now a simple routine that minimizes complications and maximizes efficiency and production:
Brew, read the morning paper and solve the Cryptoquip. Brew, read my email. Brew, get dressed and go to work. Brew, work. Brew, work. Lunch. Brew, work. Brew, work. Leave work. Help my youngest child with her homework. A few chores. Greet husband. Eat dinner. Chat with husband and child. Bedtime.
Ahh, the simple life.
There are of course deviations on this norm — bill paying once a month, weekend gardening and home maintenance, and the occasional so-expensive-it-feels-like-a-punch-in-the-stomach car or appliance repair — but for the most part it is me and my way of doing things. It’s a pity this kind of simplicity can’t be taught in schools. No, really, it can’t be.
Article comments
1 - Joanne Huspek
:-)
That's why you have to dive into the technology right after them, Diana. Old dogs CAN learn new tricks, it just takes them a lot longer. Last week, I finally got Twitter, after getting my feet wet a few minutes a day for six months.
There's comfort in being "old" but don't get so old you can't feel.
2 - Baritone
Diana,
Nice piece.
I remember being troubled at how my mother retreated into what became a very small life. The problem, as I see it, was a lack of interest in much of anything beyond eating meals out and occasional shopping trips. Much of the remainder of her days were spent sitting in a chair staring at the wall, dozing occasionally, and then back to the wall. Watching that over her last years was a sobering experience.
Most of us adopt a routine of some kind. That we tend to "retire" as it were from the hustle and bustle of our youth no longer troubles me. My wife and I are into our 60s, and while we aren't involved in most of the things we once were - we used to be active in community theatre, among other things - we both still maintain avid interests in the arts and now, much more than before, in politics. I have an extensive herb garden.
Maintaining daily routines actually tend to make us more productive and responsive to our environment. I think one can get bogged down in routines, though, becoming obsessive about them.
I have a brother who simply cannot function unless he has time to go through his long established routines. He doesn't have to be at work until 8:30 in the morning, but he gets up at 5:15 each day so that he can touch all his normal morning ablutional bases. He has been known to call in sick if, say he over-sleeps, even only 15 or 20 minutes, as he claims that he just can't get everything accomplished in less than 3 hours and 15 minutes. He's weird.
But, again, nice article.
B