Routine

I just got home from dropping a friend off at the airport an hour ago. Keagan and I quickly tried out Zulu's new leash that came in the mail and then I sat down with a cup of Chai to catch up on my routine. It's embarrassing when I think about just how much I rely on routine in my life. The past couple weeks have been busy. I had schedule bubbling to the brim two weeks ago and then enjoyed the past week catching up with a faithful hometown friend and showing her my new home state. During those weeks, I was able to toss my routine out the window a bit and focus on the things that life was passing out so generously. How strange it is, though, that the minute things calm down, I'm willingly going back to the routine like I can't live without it.

It's a struggle for me, it really is. I get so deeply acquainted with my habits - the ones that I think keep me stable - but really they just tie me down to a boring safety. Yes, routine can be good, but it can also be suffocating for a mind that is trying to stay open and creative. Am I really living when I sit down at the same time each day to do the same tasks I do every week? I don't think so. Is it important to get work done? Yes. But is it necessary to hold to the routine of getting work done so tightly that I can't allow a little spontaneity to seep in and keep me fresh? Life is more exciting and I'm more available to others when life's not scripted and I'm trying to remember that.

So tonight, I'm going to sit with my Chai and blog a short post instead of catching up on emails. Then, I'm not going to do anything that I planned. Selfish? I don't know. But tonight, I don't want to be friends with routine.