The steady season

toad

Yesterday, a relatively new acquaintance asked me, “What do you want to do with your life?” She was asking about my career path, I suppose – to which my answer is always a shoulder shrug. I’ve never been one with a bullseye plan for my professional life – I just try to do my very best wherever I happen to be, and take each next step as it comes.

I’m learning to see my life in seasons. There have been seasons when I’ve been a freewheeling gypsy, tumbling from place to place with no rhyme or reason, living on scrambled eggs and dreams. Sometimes (a lot of times) I miss those days. But right now, I’m in a season of stability, a chapter of routine.

And despite the occasional call of the wild, this season is good.

I wake up each morning around 6:30, and start the coffee pot that I readied the night before. Toad goes outside, then comes in to eat her breakfast (which I sprinkle with shredded cheese because she is old and 3-legged and I just figure she needs as much happiness as she can get). I fry an egg and mix a little granola into a tiny cup of yogurt, and take my breakfast back to my bed where I usually read for a little while.

When I finally motivate myself to actually get up and go to work, I pull my lunch out of the fridge (packed the night before, of course), and either say goodbye to Toad or bring her with me. She comes to the office with me one day a week and gets dropped off with Becca another day, leaving 3 days when she’s home alone. On those days, I run home at lunch and take her for a walk around the block, then sit with her on the front porch for a few minutes. I’m convinced that no one in the world loves me as much as Toad – not to say that people don’t love me well, but just that this dog’s enthusiasm for me is over the top.

Every day at work looks a little different, as I juggle plenty of different projects. Some constants: email, social media, writing, planning, organizing, mailing, and making sure that everything I do is legal.

I try to keep weeknights low-key. I come home and eat a bowl of soup (that I cooked in the Crock-Pot over the weekend), and eventually go to the gym around 7:30. Then I head home to take a shower and go to bed and then start the whole thing over again the next day.

Nothing is flashy these days. I’m not jet-setting around the country like I have in previous seasons. I’m not dating. I’m not going to many parties or events. I’m not climbing any mountains. I’m not “accomplishing” much of anything, unless you count being a good employee and keeping Toad alive – both of which are worthwhile goals, by the way.

Sometimes, the wanderlust tries to convince me to break out of this routine and do something crazy, something that makes me come alive, something risky but beautiful. A trusted friend sent me a text the other day, urging me to do a thing that I’ve always wanted to do – and entertaining the idea of being bold and brave slapped my heart awake. I know that one day, it will be time for that tumbleweed season again.

But today, I am steady. Today, I believe it’s good. And I just wanted to write it down to remind myself.

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10 Comments

  1. Angie N on February 7, 2013 at 11:13 AM

    I’ve been asking for a sense of content in my feelings, plans, anxieties. A friend reminded me of this quote this morning and paired with this post it feels like a destined reminder to be content.

    “Today may there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.”

    Thanks again Annie for sharing :)

  2. hootenannie on February 7, 2013 at 11:14 AM

    Angie – oh my goodness, that’s beautiful. Thank you!

  3. Erin on February 7, 2013 at 11:17 AM

    Our eating/cooking patterns are the exact same. Nothing beats soup. I enjoy routine, and I’m good at it, but I sometimes wonder if I’m living a life that is “too routine” for my years.

  4. Emily on February 7, 2013 at 11:34 AM

    Isn’t reading in the morning so luxurious? And I love a good routine. Yours sounds awesome.

  5. Shanna on February 7, 2013 at 11:41 AM

    1) You tell a good story.
    2) I like the sound of your routines.

  6. Kim on February 7, 2013 at 12:25 PM

    I love all this talk about your steady season. Sometimes I wonder if my life is too planned, or predictable. But we all have seasons on the move, never knowing what’s around the corner! And seasons where we plant a little more roots and learn the beauty in routines.

    Cheers to embracing this season!

  7. Katie @ cakes, tea and dreams on February 7, 2013 at 2:27 PM

    This is lovely. And I always need the reminder that there is beauty in the everyday, in the routine. I am also glad you have a dog who loves you that much. That’s amazing.

  8. mrs. chesney on February 7, 2013 at 10:42 PM

    I love this.
    xoxo

  9. Julie on February 8, 2013 at 2:24 AM

    Thank you <3

  10. Bob on February 27, 2013 at 5:48 PM

    That is a great picture, you look content and the dog looks happy!

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