Routine

rou·tine

/ro͞oˈtēn/

noun

1 1.
a sequence of actions regularly followed; a fixed program.”I settled down into a routine of work and sleep”

2 synonyms:

3 procedure, practice, pattern, drill, regime, regimen, groove; More

We all have them whether actively working, retired, independently rich or dirt poor. They are part of our lives that we cherish and curse at the same time. Routines are just not about events of the day but people that occupy our lives. When our routines change for one reason or another, our brain goes into autocorrect like when you move your dresser from one place to another and still go to the first location for a few times until your brain is redirected.

My daily routine is, of course, mainly dictated by my job and my cat. I’m not really clear what is one and two unless you ask the cat. Since I have been working earlier shifts which require me to rise at 5:30, this is a problem for the cat. Normally, her waking time is 6ish but she is not allowed her breakfast until 7:00 –too much later and the paw is inserted into face, claws in but still a paw that has been in kitty litter, well, you get it, right? We get up, I make a pit stop in the bathroom, to the refrigerator for the wet food, meow, meow! As she is eating the wet food, her glasses of water, placed strategically, get dumped and refilled with fresh water. Then for the highlight of the day, dry cat food in the living room! Crunch, Crunch! Off to the shower for me, then a hair brushing for the long haired creature and the rest of her dry food for the day. Out the door at 6:35 for the short walk to the next part of the routine.

One of the aspects I love of any job I’ve had is the combination of routine and surprise. Procedures that happen every day like clock work—punching in, turning on lights, unlocking padlocks, making coffee are automatic and face it, sometimes boring. The fun comes when problems arise and solutions need to be found. It doesn’t happen everyday but being able to solve a problem, small as it may be, is very satisfying to me. Whether it be helping a customer solve a problem or figuring out a display or finding a better price for a product we sell, I am a fixer at heart. That has been a steady routine for me all my life. I don’t expect it to change anytime soon.

Today it is Sunday, time to change up the routine and throw caution to the wind. Coffee with Bailey’s, reading in bed, throw open the window so the cat can smell the air and hear the birds. Let my brain deal with it, I’m going for broke.