Whenever I am truly ready to start the day (excluded to days when not working), and only after my morning coffee, there are a couple of rituals I have to perform in order to ease into the day. First, the glasses must go, and the contacts must be put in. Am I the only one? I have witnessed a basic truth in my life: the longer my glasses are on, the less productive I am. Second, the teeth. No matter if I have already brushed my teeth twice today (I am a manic teeth-brusher), I have to brush my teeth once more. Yes, strange. And finally, this is an obvious, change into “real clothes”. Meaning, changing out of my favorite, super boring, college tank top and running shorts and into presentable clothing. Then, I am ready for the day.
Cup o’ Joe.
Being a teacher on my first summer break, I have divided my break as follows: taking various graduate classes, curriculum preparation for the upcoming school year, regular house-y stuff, the occasional run, books, and spending time with family, friends, and the kittens. However, I have found it extremely difficult to stay motivated and on task without 1) a list (many lists) and 2) constant pep-talks (example: “Sallie, you must do more than wash your coffee cup this morning! Use your brain!” or the most recent, “You can only watch ONE Downton Abbey while putting the laundry away!”). Fortunately, I have recently finished all 3 Downton Abbey seasons, which means productivity is up once again.
No matter, there are always those looming tasks I have found I am never exactly eager to complete. Today, it was the laundry. We desperately needed clean clothes. Even knowing this, as I stared at the pile(s) of dirty clothes on the ground, any enthusiasm present subsequently faded. Before even the process of washing clothes, I was presented with a dilemma: smoosh everything into two separate piles, or separate into THREE different piles, making a distinct pile for towels in itself. While creating a separate towel pile would be the appropriate adult thing to do, I literally (and with no exaggeration) tossed the idea in my mind for a good 5 minutes. One more load costs approximately $3.00 to be paid in quarters, which, so it seems, is very difficult to come by. I decided to go with the ole’ 2.5 load solution: wash ALL of the loads, including the towels, but letting the towels air dry. This was determined by my miscalculation in the amount of quarters I had. There you go, decision already made for me.
Crossing this item off of my to-do list, I realize that I have not apportioned time for “leisure” writing, a.k.a. this, so, sticking to my guns, I must leave to do some grocery shopping, which is also desperately needed.
Have a beautiful Monday!
Enjoy this image capturing a seal and a watermelon.
C’est la vie.
Everyday Essence 