I slept in this morning. I watched a House of Cards episode. I read the (Dutch) paper. I got a call wondering whether there was anything wrong.
‘just an ordinary morning, thanks.
Yesterday was a typical morning.
I finished writing a journal manuscript to meet a noon deadline, then drove to Reading for a 1:30 pm business development meeting.
Then a 3:30 pm quality systems meeting. Then a 4:30 manufacturing partners meeting.
At 5:30 I was idling in a massive queue to get out of the car park and back into town, finally enjoying a relaxed Indian dinner at 6;30. ‘back on the road south at 9 and, two missed exits later, arrived home around 11.
I can tell: I was ‘doing it wrong.
So, today would be different. Ordinary, perhaps.
Even though the diary and to-do list looked full this morning, but I took the bold step of saying it wasn’t anything that couldn’t wait for a day. I set business work and expat explorations aside and only looked at the left side of my notebook, where I keep the shopping lists, notes to write, and chores.
And so it came to pass that I…
- Washed the car
- Did the shopping
- Consulted with the landlord
- Bought kitchen utensils and pans
- ‘Hoovered up
- Moved boxes from the lilac room into garage storage
- Scrubbed the hobs
- Wrote to a few friends
- Made a cooked breakfast. A proper lunch. A salmon dinner.
- Got a haircut
- Sorted the bins and put them out to the curb in the proper time, place, and manner
- Changed the beds; did the wash and air dry
It takes a surprising amount of time to do Ordinary: tools to find, stores to browse, bank payments to arrange. Nothing too taxing or risky, just a nice day doing all of the things that I never seem to have enough time for otherwise.
Tomorrow will be back to the phones, emails, and planning meetings. Someone will Ask For More; another will Make Do With Less. The to-do list will end longer than it began.
But, by late afternoon, we’ll be further along that we thought we could be when the day started. It’s not a bad thing.
Still, ‘Ordinary felt pretty good. I’ve already got more-dinary planned for the weekend, when the clocks jump ahead and the temperatures hit a sunny 17C.
No backsliding into 2013. But, among the things I love (right), at least some perspectief, balans and grenzen on how to do them.