Busted Routines


I’m very much a creature of habit. Toodles and I move through our days like well-oiled machines. Routines drive our actions from the time our feet/paws hit the floor in the morning until our heads hit the pillow at night.

Doing things in a particular order helps me get more done and keeps me from having to think about what’s next. Disruptions push my needle into the crotchety zone, and sometimes, flat out piss me off. Shocking, I know, but true.

Routines have always worked for me. I could be wrong — wouldn’t be the first time — but that’s how I remember things. Lately, instead of helping me get everything done, my well-established routines too often get in the way of what I want to do.

My exercise routine takes the biggest hit. Pinpointing the cause is complicated. Weather, time changes, seasonal variations in day length, the day job, my advancing age, and conflicting demands all play a role. A lack of flexibility doesn’t help.

My goal is to run three-miles or more every other day and to workout at the gym on the days in between. To make up for missed days, I often hit the gym and run on days I’m off work. Working out and then going for a run is fine, but after a run, I’m done.

I like to workout in the morning. Going to the gym before work isn’t really an option, so I do well to get in two workouts a week. The crowd makes working out right after work next to impossible. Once I get home, going back out — for any reason — is unlikely.

My desire to run without a shirt is another complication. A shirt messes with my tan line, and  because I sweat buckets, gets uncomfortable — fast.

When it’s hot, I run early in the day to dodge the heat. On cooler days, unless I have to work, I wait until late morning or early afternoon. Freezing temperatures, rain, and snow mean no running at all.

Abandoning well-established routines and being more flexible is a huge challenge — as much for Toodles as for me. We do much better when I don’t have to work. Retirement looks better all the time. Now if I could just win the lottery….


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