Dearest Rachel –
They say (and no, I’ve never quite managed to figure out who “they” are, these legendary arbiters of both the status quo and nearly every form of advice to shake it up. They’re clearly a contradictory bunch; maybe I wouldn’t want to meet them, much as any larger-than-life figure would be a disappointment in person) that in order to ingrain a good habit – be it studying, prayer or exercise, just to name a few – one needs to set aside a regular time and place for it in your schedule, and incorporate it into your daily routine. After about forty days, or so the rule of thumb goes, it will be practically second nature; if you happen to skip this newly ingrained habit at the appointed time, you will notice it, and feel the need to remedy the situation.
It’s funny how this doesn’t seem to apply to bad habits, though. You don’t have to deliberately work them into your schedule; they just seem to crop up and become a part of your life, whether you want them to be or not, but whatever.
And while I may sound like I’m making light – and making fun – of this assertion, I bring it up in the first place because it actually seems to have worked pretty well for me, particularly with regard to my intention of regularly working out. It’s gotten to the point where I’m rolling out of bed while it’s still dark (yes, that’s probably because it’s almost always dark at this time of year, and will be for the next couple of months. That’s just how winter is) and getting myself dressed out to hit the gym regardless of my motivation, or, more to the point, my lack thereof (if, for no other reason, the aforementioned winter. I just told you yesterday about our first snow, and I’m not looking forward to walking through that on the regular).
This morning, however, was a little more challenging than usual. For once this week, I didn’t find myself looking at the clock upon breaking the surface of consciousness and seeing some obscene hour like three or four, when even the fitness center hasn’t opened yet. No, this morning didn’t start for me until after six. Granted, you’d probably consider that an obscene hour yourself, but that’s because you would have been up until well past midnight; I was off to bed by around ten. Clearly, I needed the extra sleep – and with my semi-retired status, it’s not as if I’m required to be anywhere at a specific hour anytime soon, so it’s not a big deal…
…except I do actually have something on my schedule today. I can’t spend a lot of time at the ‘office,’ because I have to meet someone later this morning about certain matters regarding the camp. I won’t go into too much detail, as it’s accounting stuff, and even in life, I assumed you’d find it boring (although, to be fair, you seemed more interested when it was about the camp than when I explained about life at work. I suppose you actually had a stake in the camp; it was more personal to you, so it was of some interest), but it has to do with determining when certain major projects, like buildings and such, should be considered completed and added to the books as such. Their new bookkeeper doesn’t have a background in the trade, so she wants to go through this in more detail, and this was the time we set aside for us to meet and do this.
Now, this meeting was set late enough in the morning that, theoretically, I should have no real problem squeezing everything into my morning, especially if I started it like I usually do. A little less than an hour to psyche myself up and get dressed to go out, a little more than one to walk the treadmill (assuming I don’t add that much more time beforehand doing crunches and other iron-pumping), a half hour to shower and get dressed, another forty-five minutes to eat and clean up, an hour to chat with the folks and get some ‘work’ done, before heading out to meet this lady at the church to discuss things. It adds up, but it’s theoretically doable, even with this morning’s slow start.
The problem is, with that slow start, combined with the usual lack of motivation (exacerbated by the continued sight of snow on the ground – I don’t know how or when I’m going to get used to walking in that), has put a damper on my ability to keep up the accelerated pace I need to actually cram everything in before I have to go to this meeting. So after a bit of internal deliberation, I decided that the workout can wait, despite having a meal at the folks’ last night to work off. Maybe I’ll deal with it afterwards; I have ideas about getting my hair cut while I’ve written my ‘work’ day off (it’s been three months, and while it’s not a concern when I look at myself from the front – and I’m well aware that the top of my head needs no barber – the slightest turn of my head in the mirror reminds me that from the ears down, the back of my neck is getting overgrown and unruly), so maybe I can add the fitness center as my final errand for the day. We’ll have to see.
Besides, I’ve got some work to do at the house, in the form of a larger-than-life pile of laundry; I can start that (the dryer won’t finish until I’m already at church, but what can you do? It’s not like I have to worry about this or that getting wrinkled) while I write you here and then assemble some breakfast, as a sop to my conscience. Hopefully I can still cram everything into my schedule, despite having had to shake it up considerably for one reason or another.
And with that being said, I’d best get going and just DO everything I’ve told you I have to. Keep an eye on me, honey, and wish me luck; I’m going to need it.
Letters to Rachel 