Routine.

I despise routines. I have spent my life trying to avoid routines like the plague.  I think the reason I regularly (or I mean sporadically) showed up to swim practice late was in defiance of the daily 4pm start time, for weeks on end, month after month, year after year, with no breaks in between.  In fact, I continue to randomly show up late to work for the very same reasons.  Some mornings I hit the snooze seven times, other mornings I jump up.  I probably switch the time setting for the alarm every other night, depending on if I think I am going to take a long shower in the morning vs. a short one vs. none.  Or if I think I will use the Keurig or stop at Starbucks.  Or if I am going to eat breakfast at home or just grab a Nutri-grain bar for the road.  Lately, I have discovered that many people consider me to be somewhat "flakey" due to this behavior.  I just think I am spontaneous, and willing to do, what so many others aren't...what I want {within reason}.

More often than not, though, I find myself extremely bothered by "routine" people.  People who claim to be "A-types".  Just because you wake up at the same time everyday, brush your teeth before you get dressed, not after, everyday, eat a banana every morning, must have things arranged in a certain order, etc, does not necessarily make you an "A-type".  It kind of just makes you boring.  Sorry.  And it makes me concerned that you are not living life as fully as you could. Go to Happy Hour with friends when asked! So what if you planned to work out, and then eat a salad, and watch your tv show, tomorrow is another day. And, oftentimes, it ruins my fun, because there are not enough whimsical people out there to randomly join me at a moment's notice.  I think that's why I get along so well with my family, and I include my cousins in this.  There must be some genetic factor for spontaneity (or I guess you could argue it's environment as we are all raised by moms raised by the same mom). Or maybe we are all just loony.  But I can often rely on my cousins, as well as my sisters, to join in on some last minute adventure or fun.

I also think this non-routine trait of mine, is why I can do what I do...which is a lot.  I don't get caught up in the routines of daily life.  If the boys go 5 days without a bath, so be it.  Unless they smell, look greasy or visibly covered in food and/or dirt, who cares. They don't.  Some days they are in bed by 8, and others, it's nearly 10pm and they're still romping around the house.  I can roll with the punches and it doesn't rock my boat.  I rarely expect things to go as planned, and am mostly surprised if they do. For instance, right now, it is nearly midnight, on a weeknight.  George will probably be waking up to eat any minute.  Why am I still up?  Because I feel like blogging. So I am.

But I was taught some core values.  If I commit to something, I will be there, or do it, or find someone to do it for me. If someone else depends on my punctuality, I will try my very very best to be there, on time, and if I am running late, I don't expect to be waited on, and am willing to accept the repercussions. 

Interestingly though, I find I am drawn to 2 types of friends.  People who are either, spontaneous to the point of being reckless and somewhat rude because of their lack of consideration for other's time and belongings OR people who are extremely routine and somewhat rude because of their lack of flexibility when things don't happen exactly when or how they expected.  I guess I need my people that I can call, 5 minutes before a movie starts, who will gladly join me, despite missing the previews and perhaps the opening credits.  And I need my people that hold me accountable to my frequent boasts and somewhat ridiculous claims.

Though, I must admit, as contrary to my openingg statement as it might sound, I have only recently (in the past coupe years, probably soon after Brock was born) come to terms with the fact that this is who I am. You know that grass is always greener thing? I used to think I would love to work out everyday. I would love to have a job that has the same hours on the same days of the week all year long. And I would always daydream that someday, my life would be "in order". Well, here I am, nearly 30 years old and no where NEAR any semblance of a routine. Never been further from it, actually. And I am loving it. Now I look forward to a life of increased chaos. I reflect on the jobs or situations I have been in that were extremely routine, and it drove me nuts. I am crazy to think that is the lifestyle I would want. So, I have embraced my spontaneous side, I love my randomness, and I wish for others to loosen up every once in a while to experience the freedom, that is doing what you want, when you want, and how you want to do it {again, within reason}.