The “Time” of Your Life

We have a certain amount of time in our life. Some people plan it out to the very second, while others are just riding the wind of spontaneity. I have friends, actually I’m married to a person who lives their life by lists. Now don’t get me wrong, I make lists, I am probably an organizer, calendar hoarder but I use them as guides for “gotta get done” and then ideas for things that would be nice to get done. But a lot of people have routines of daily living that they live by, like self-imposed rules AND if they have to break the cycle, well they’re likely to be in for a very bad day.

I’m just not that disciplined in life. It actually can make me anxious if every moment of everyday is all planned out…probably the opposite feeling of a person who is totally disciplined. It is your safety net, to be in control and have a plan and work the plan. For me, if there is not room in my life for spontaneity I will crumble and fall. My need to be able to act on an impulse will win when ever possible and if I have a list of must do’s that didn’t get done, that is where the problems start by making me feel behind and eventually overwhelmed.

Some of my friends get up at the same time everyday, they have a morning routine, look amazing, find time for exercise, baking, all of their laundry is done, their home is perfect and they not only know what they are having for dinner tonight but they know what they are having next Thursday. I had a neighbor once who told me every Monday was Spaghetti, Tuesday was Fried Chicken, Wednesday was Meatloaf and so on and so on. At first I thought that is a great idea, but in the next minute I started thinking of all of the great food I would miss out on in my life if I lived like that. In fact, I am known for looking up a recipe on the internet whenever I need to bring a dish or have people over for dinner and btw, whatever I take usually is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

What I am trying to express is that a strict routine makes me feel locked in. It would lead to depression for me.

I am writing for the woman who gets up because she wakes up…sometimes way earlier than the rest of the household. Wants to get right to some pressing items for the day and may be working before eating breakfast or taking a shower and dressing. Are there any of you out there? Or am I all alone as the roque homemaker who lives in the spirit of the moment?

There is good to be said for both you know.  You will get your lists whittled away, but in the course of life what may you miss? Just sayin’  :).

Over the years I have gotten so much better at keeping my home organized and clean and my laundry done and having a plan for dinner at least the day of but I don’t have a laundry day, a shopping day, a cleaning day. I simply do a bit of everything everyday and when I can’t because I am off at an appointment, out of town or having one of my spontaneous afternoons, I live with it until the next day that I will be home all day and can get caught up.

The other day I needed to grab some groceries for a salad that we were taking to a dinner party. (Yes, I just looked it up on Pinterest and printed it out.)  I looked at the clock and it was noon. I decided to call my mom and see if she had eaten yet,…she is 89 years old and lives on her own and still drives…I hadn’t seen her since Christmas even though we live about 10 minutes apart and it is early February. She answered and had not eaten so I told her I would pick her up.

Having no idea where we were eating I just went through in my mind grocery stores and restaurants but something kind of good not fast food.

I decided on this little cafe boutique called Imogenes. They had moved from over by me a few years ago and I had not visited them at their new location which was closer to my Mom’s home.

We enjoyed a delicious meal

Really delightful menu and our food was tasty!

 

Caught up on things going on, but passed on the amazing desserts!

Explored the boutique.

This was a stunning table scape that would be perfect for a Valentines Day party.

You’ll notice if you follow my posts that when I see something I like but deem to be a little pricey, I keep my eye on it. I have no idea how fast items move in this boutique, but I really love the painting behind these items. While $350 may not be a significant price for a piece like this, it is a lot for me…when I know that I can get something that fits the bill at HomeGoods for about $50. But I will probably check it out again in about 3 weeks.

So many cute baby items, I could have taken 20 pictures. As we find out the gender of our anticipated grand baby this weekend, I am certainly returning to gather some great items for the nursery project.

Really found these frames to be beautiful in their rustic character.

Bought a couple of things

I bought one of each color to go in a basket on my fireplace mantel at our lake house. It sits beneath a picture of sailboats. Now that I look at the picture, maybe I should have bought the boats as well!

I grabbed my groceries and dropped my mom off as I headed home to make my salad and had to at our dinner party at 5:30!

Had I planned that little outing in my day I would have freaked out and likely cancelled my mom over the stress of it. But squeezing it in on my terms with my time? Ecccelente!

I had a wonderful lunch. Got to see my Mom. Enjoyed browsing a Boutique. Bought something to remember the day. Received an Inspiration for my Blog. None of it on my list, all because I acted spontaneously!

Oh and here is the salad too! Bonus 🙂

The Recipe!

So which are you, the planner or the spontaneous? What works for you and what works against you? I truly want to hear your comments.

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Thank you for stopping by today,

Psalm 90:12  Teach us to number our days, that we might gain a heart of wisdom.