A life more ordinary

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.