By Joe Rector
Every morning, I rise from bed when my eyes open. If I’ve used an alarm clock, the snooze button is never touched. I walk through the house and hit the button to start the coffee pot brewing and continue to my bathroom at the far end of the house. I brush my teeth and next grab the morning’s handful of pills. For years, I then hopped in the shower and then shaved. Then I walk back to the other end of the house to dress for the day.
I’ll bet this set of actions sounds all too familiar to many folks. It’s that part of life that we live in auto-control. No thoughts are required to complete the tasks. I compare it to the time before Amy and I were married. I was teaching at Doyle High School, and Amy was still in school at Tennessee Tech. I drove to see her every weekend, and I’d driven the roads for the four years I was in college. I’d made that trip so many times that my VW Bug almost knew when to speed up, slow down, and ease into the curves on I-40.
All of us have routines. They revolve around daily activities and even holidays. We eat at the same time, have a menu for the week that varies little, and sit in our assigned seats. During Christmas, families follow routines as if any variation might cause Santa to fly over the house. The tree is set at the same place; a collection of ornaments is hung in the same places, and the tree lights cannot be turned on until the tree is completely decorated. The routine for opening gifts varies as well. Some families open their presents on Christmas Eve and then open Santa gifts the next morning.
My routine extends to the yard. I have a specific direction that I mow the grass and on which section of our plot I begin. When fall arrives, I blow leaves in one direction. The ones in other sections of the yard are mowed, but they are done so in a certain pattern to keep the piles from killing the grass. I even park my mowers in a certain order. I’m not sure if this is a routine or if I’m afflicted with OCD.
In daily life, most of us like our routines. They keep us from having to make decisions. Just going along with what “has been” makes life run more smoothly. What we fail to understand is that a shakeup of our almost involuntary acts can bring about a fresh perspective. Doing things just a tad bit differently almost seems like an adventure. Most of all, breaking some of our “ruts” brings back choice to our sometimes-boring existence.
Amy and I have plenty of routines, but being empty nesters does offer some chances for change. We eat when we want, rise, or go to bed when we desire, and do what we want each day. Of course, the two pups in our lives still are ready to eat at 5:00 p.m. and start whining about going to bed at 8:00. Our Christmas plans are always flexible and match what works best for Lacey’s family. One thing is for sure: not having too many routines to follow makes life easier to live.
