How to Start the Morning

Dearest Rachel –

I wonder if you’d be amused by the fact that I’m getting this much milage out of the effects of a holiday intractably stuck in the middle of the work week like this. You’d probably point out that it doesn’t affect me as much as most people, now that I’m able to set my own schedule, and you’d be right, but it does leave me wondering about how other people deal with effectively having a second Monday in a single week like this.

You’d probably also ask me about this title, with a sort of what-kind-of-question-is-that bemusement. After all, starting one’s morning is so intuitive, so second nature, that you could practically do it in your sleep – barring the fact that, literally speaking, no, you can’t. But there are choices to be made, first thing in the morning, that aren’t nearly as intuitive as they used to be – and even less so on a day like this, after being out in the hot sun during its peak hours yesterday.

After waking up and getting out of bed – two tasks that are all but universal morning tasks, unless you manage to sleep until noon (which I can never do, any more than I can stay awake and coherent past midnight) – the first decision I have to make these days is whether to hop into the shower and wash myself up. Now, that might sound strange to you, at least in terms of what you would think to be ‘in character’ for me – you would bathe every other or third day, but you knew me to wash up literally every day, and always in the morning. But now that I’ve made a habit of going to the gym at least twice a week, I’m left wondering if I should bother holding off until after my workout – and with that being said, whether this is going to be one of those days in which I go have a workout in the first place. After all, I’ve put in several miles of walking in both of the last couple of days; surely, I can take a day off from exercising today, right? So perhaps a shower would be in order?

It’s at this moment, I hear the roar of a large engine; the rubbish men are going by – a day later than usual, due to the holiday, of course. Sure, it’s the fellows working across the street in the next town, so I probably have an hour or two before our guys get to whatever’s on our curb, but I don’t have any guarantees of that. I need to make a decision about showering pretty much right now, as I need to throw clothes on and drag our bin (never mind the recyclables; you can still see the bottom of that bin, and since those don’t smell, even after several weeks, and in this hot weather, there’s no need to rush them out) out there for pickup.

And as I do, I find myself all but swimming through the air, as the humidity is uncomfortably thick. I might not come to this conclusion every day, but today, I think that I’ve made the right decision (even if it wasn’t arrived at by thoughtful, measured weighing of options, but just reacting to external cues). Even though it’s not particularly hot outside – yet – it is muggy enough that I can’ t help but conclude that I would have wasted the effort in getting washed up to face this particular day. After all, it’s not likely to get any cooler than this, either for the rest of the day or for the next couple of months. Why bother to wash when the mere act of going outside will get you all hot and sweaty, thus wasting your efforts the minute you step out?

To be fair, having to deal with an office full of other people would drive one to ensure that one is (to the best of one’s ability on a day like today) not the offensive one in the office, in terms of overall hygiene – which basically explains why it would be out of character for me to not shower every morning. And as for non-working days, well… you certainly offered plenty of incentive for me to be as clean as possible for your sake (and, in turn, my own); I’ll say no more here, as you should know what I’m referring to.

But that’s no longer an option.

What is an option – and I mean that in terms of being “optional”; I can do it, or not – is whether or not to drop by the gym this afternoon. Sure, the clothes I’ve put on – basically, a T-shirt and shorts, because they’re comfortable – would mean I wouldn’t even have to change if I were to go there, but it’s not like I have to go. It might be easier to go today than any other because of it (and because I’ve essentially decided not to shower this morning – I might as well really work up a sweat, and make it worth my while to wash up by the time I get home this afternoon), but there’s nothing compelling me to do so, apart from my own conscience. And even that can be argued down to a single gym visit this week, if I wanted to, given that the walk to and from the middle school yesterday (and several times around the festival grounds) ought to count for something.

These are the sorts of decisions that I find myself dealing with in the mornings these days, honey. I suppose the day will sort a few things out over time – if the workload that comes with the beginning of the month comes in for me to deal with, I might have difficulty getting out with enough time to feel like I could spend an hour or more on the fitness machines. But that remains to be seen.

For now, I need to get over to the ‘office,’ and deal with whatever ‘work’ might be there. It may be only the second work day, but we’re already almost a week into the first month, so there might be a lot to do… or not. Either way, keep an eye on me, and wish me luck; I’m going to need it.