Routine

It sounds dull – doing the same boring things at the same time, so familiar you could practically do it in your sleep.  But I find routine useful: yoga in the morning when I get up, a long walk three times a week, regular times to vacuum and change the sheets.  A system of some kind makes sure the basic necessities for a smooth and healthy life get accomplished.

As long as my whole day is not one boring repetition of the same little chores, routine frees me up for more creative pursuits.  Which is not to say that creation doesn’t happen during the so-called mindless activities.  In fact, I often get great ideas when my body is engaged in some easy or repetitive action and my mind can wander where it will.  And of course, some kind of routine is absolutely necessary for creative work to reach its goal – a certain time each day to write or a certain number of pages to get done.

The reason I decided to re-examine my own routines is because I forgot to post my blog this Sunday as I usually do.  I like having a deadline for the blog and I generally think about what I’m going to write or post during the week.  On Sunday I got up just after 4 am so I could Skype Halifax.  I was up for a while, then went back to bed.  I got up late, did some of the usual things, repainted my front steps, finished a first draft of a fantasy novel and spent some time reading.  Then in the evening I watched TV – which I hadn’t done in a while.  It was quite a relaxing day and I enjoyed it.

This morning I realized I’d forgotten all about my blog.  Debate: do I skip it this week entirely?  Post something and pretend I posted it yesterday?  Or just write about breaking routine and how that’s important to do once in a while – by accident, on purpose, or spontaneously.

So here I am after having gone for a two hour walk a little while ago, sitting at my lap top.  It’s a hot day outside and lots of people were walking and biking the riverbank trail.  I stopped at the library, returned  a book and got a new one, bought a hot dog and lemonade at the red bus, crossed to Broadway and visited a couple of stores and then headed home.

I’m not sure yet what I’m going to do with the rest of my day.  Freedom.