If any of you have ever noticed that your daily schedules and plans can be a bit regimented, you are not alone. I am finding I need to start “bending” my daily ways before I become obnoxiously schedule and task oriented – and, heaven forbid someone asks for something that is outside of my schedule. Ha! Aside from the abnormal COVID social restrictions that limit going out and making plans to do a lot of traveling, I noticed recently that I am hearing a voice coming from me that sounds like a housebound crazy cat lady who is set in her ways (no offense intended toward cat ladies out there). Let me share some examples and see if any of you can relate to this craziness. I recently questioned going out for supper at 8 p.m. the other night. Why? Uh, hello, first of all it’s Thursday and I am in my pajamas and ready to snuggle in for the night with DVR shows to watch and a 5:30 a.m. alarm to answer on Friday morning. You would have thought they asked me to cook a seven-course dinner for a black tie affair at my house based on how quickly I said no. Seriously, it was not even the weekend and I was trying to protect my predictable schedule and hoard my availability.
I’ve also realized how I am set in my ways with mundane and average household chores and “how I like it to be done.” Who puts a half load of laundry in? No one ever, according to my mother and now also according to me. Who leaves clothes lay in the dryer until they look like the wrinkled basket of clothes not yet washed? Better not be anyone in my house unless they want to iron or steam each individual item. Who scrubs the dishes before the dishwasher cleans them because that food sauce can clog up the dishwasher and then we have to buy a new one (!) …? Well, of course I do because my Mom told me to. Who cleans “like the President is coming” every time someone is on their way to the house? We do – or so my son says (smile). And speaking of my son, I knew I passed on my crazy unbendable traits to him when he boldly asked “Who loaded this dishwasher? There is obviously another 30-40% capacity if you fill it this way instead.” I was being schooled by the craziness that I have created.
But seriously, staying at home so much with the COVID restrictions or simply trying to stay healthy has taken a toll on my inner unbendable drama queen and, as they say, you first have to recognize it before you can change. So my goal is to not be so locked into my plans and be more open to change in my daily tasks – but, no, still can’t allow the clothes to wrinkle in the dryer – heck, I would be the one to steam them anyway! The final good news? I guess that means we are open for supper plans Monday-Friday, just sayin’ my friends.
Leave a Reply