The Mundane

Some days are just "ordinary."  Ask my Mom - she believes (on many days) that her life is now "boring."  It seems to be the same stuff day in and day out - she visits her best friend in the nursing home on most days, she reads books selected from the local library (noting that most come from the fiction shelves, with the exception of biographies), a couple times each week she heads to the grocery store (bananas and cream are the usual culprits that require replenishment), hair appointment on Friday mornings, housekeeper comes on Tuesdays, and church on Sunday.  Of course, there are the dinners out with an extended family member (generally my sister's mother-in-law, another 80-something), and biweekly trips to Terra Haute (with the same 80-something person who can still go there without getting lost) when they "handle the goods" and then eat.

Mom's day begins (according to her) when Beavis (the cat) wakes her up at 7 AM (even when the time shifts from daylight savings to standard or vice versa).  She rises and feeds him.  Then, on nice days, takes him out to the gazebo to watch the birds and traffic (Mom has forgotten that BB Gato was the cat that always wanted to go to the gazebo and Beavis stayed inside - but BB is gone now).  There is the morning paper to read and about 11 AM the mail shows up, keeping Mom occupied for at least an hour as she patiently opens each request for money and then neatly places all the paperwork back into the respective envelops before stuffing the entire mess into a plastic bag, which she will save for varying lengths of time until one or both daughters arrive and sort to toss.

I am not sure who's day has the more mundane activities.  My "exciting" but normal day starts by walking with neighbors (at 7 AM, Monday through Thursday and Saturday - unless one has to wash her hair, get an oil change, or some other activity that would preclude the half hour for walking), then coffee for a couple hours while checking e-mails and completing the daily tasks (watering Audrey, feed cats,fill fountains, visit the Animal Rescue website, read the daily Proverb, and so forth).  This leads to the normal activity of search for job leads and sending resumes electronically.

The weekly activities include mowing the so called grass (which requires a minimum of 3 hours each week), doing the laundry (including hanging on the line to dry except in months where the ambient temperature stays below freezing), grocery shopping (after church usually - no reason to make extra trips to town), cleaning the house (my goal is to complete one room a day, and that doesn't ever seem to happen), review pending bills and pay same, and attempt to complete one book each week (complete is the operative word, because there are always several "in progress").  


My Outlook "task list" sets my goals for each day.  I have several "tasks" that have lingered on the list for more than a year, however.  The basement is the biggest one - it really needs to be cleaned and the rest of my college notebooks tossed, along with other times not essential to my well being.  My next house will NOT have a basement - too convenient to drop stuff there and "store" indefinitely, or until the sump pump fails.


The best part about a mundane schedule is being guilt free when I get distracted by kitties, a news item on the radio or television, deer or other wildlife in the yard, or nice weather that harkens me to the deck or porch for reading instead of checking off tasks.  What the heck, the list will still be there tomorrow.

'Now that it's all over, what did you really do yesterday that's worth mentioning?'  ~Coleman Cox (author)