I am a creature of habit.  I like my routines.  They give me a sense of security.  Like anyone, I like variety as well.  Stir it up a bit.  However, returning to my routines gives me a sense of comfort… like being home.

I find myself getting into a routine with food.

I have the same breakfast and lunch nearly every day. 

This week, my lists are taking over.

I have so much I want to do, and seem to keep falling short.

Is there ever enough time in the day?

Yesterday was puppy school day.

After the major frustrations suffered in class last week, I emailed the instructor hoping for words of wisdom that would whisk us past the bumps in the road and get us back on track.

Lists surround me.

I have a list on my calendar of what I intend to do today, and another with a plan for the week.  I have a list of things to do at the gym.  I have a grocery list.  I have a list of projects that need attention.  I have lists for Dixie that include work to be done, parts that need explored, and parts to be ordered.  I have a list of projects for other people.   To complicate matters, I have lists running through my head that have not yet made it to paper.

I am a nurse.  I am proud to be a nurse.  I have been a nurse for 29 years.  For those who may not know, as a nurse, even when you are no longer working a “real job”, you are still a nurse.  My career was a remarkable journey and I am grateful for every job I had along the way.

Yesterday was not a “gym day”, but that does not mean I took a day off from training.  Given the weather was a bit unpredictable, I decided against a riding my bike as I did not feel like getting caught in the rain far from home.  I settled for a “run around the block”.  As we live in the country, my run around the block is a dirt road loop of just over three miles.  I jogged the first mile without a break, did the second mile with two “walk breaks”, and the third was a series of intervals of 30 seconds run, 30 seconds walk.  It was a not a great run, but it served to provide an adequate cardio workout for the day.

I went to the gym this morning, as per my usual routine on Thursday.  I arrived about 7:45 AM, turned on the lights, started the music playing, and started my warm up.  As always, the start of my workout is a way to get my muscles warmed up and settle the spinning of my thoughts.  Time to focus on the workout.

Yesterday was a remarkable day!  It started early and ended too late for me to write!  I was up before dawn, packed the Subaru, loaded “Jefe” (my old yet loved Gary Fisher HiFi Plus dual-suspension 29r mountain bike), and started on my 2+ hour road trip.  My destination was a county park in New York, southeast of Buffalo, where I would partake in a women’s only mountain bike clinic.

Today my brain is spinning.  I’m walking through the house performing my usual routine.  I’m awake before 6:00 AM, big glass of water, make smoothies for Hubby and me while listening to my morning meditation, and look at “the list” for the day.