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Now there’s a debate! I can imagine teams forming, the gulf between them opening up like the parting of the Red Sea (or was it the Dead Sea? I can never remember. At least I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t remember if I ever tried to.) There’s one group of you taking the side of routines being a necessary means of structuring your life so that you can be more efficient, more dependable, and so on. Those of you on my side (oops! did I just take sides?) will be pointing out the joys of Serendipity. The value of being flexible, living “in the moment” . . .
Well, I don’t know where it all leads. It’s just that I’ve noticed that I, in fact, do have some routines in my life at the moment. I expect those of you on Team A will scoff, and say they don’t rate a mention, but for me they represent a rather startling development. Okay, I won’t hold you in suspense any longer. The two routines I have developed are #1 I eat the same thing for breakfast every day: coffee and an English muffin. No big deal, you’re thinking. It is for me. I’ve always tended to think that having the same breakfast every day was — well, a bit anal, if you want to know. Obsessive at worst; unimaginitive at least. And in either case, downright boring. But here I am, feeling like I haven’t had breakfast until I’ve had my cuppa and an English muffin. I find it comforting, or at least comfortable. What does that mean?
no surprises here
#2 The other thing that I’ve identified as routine is my 3X-week swim. I’ve been doing it for a number of years, and I’m sure it does me good, but now that I’ve identified it as a routine, I’m not so sure anymore. Maybe I’m just in a rut! The swimming is by appointment, so I have standing appointments for each of the three days. That sort of forces an element of routine on me to begin with, but it is the fact that they have become something of an anchor (perhaps that’s not the best way to characterise a swim, come to think of it). Okay, they give a bit of shape to my week. Otherwise, how would I know what day it is? The thing about the swimming is, I wouldn’t miss it for anything — other than a tsunami hitting Tasmania, or a better offer.
Now I’m just wondering what it means to have reached this point in my life before ever developing a routine. The truth is, I like the unexpected. I don’t want to be predictable (a trait that definitely did not endear me to secretaries). I fancy myself capable of responding to whatever surprises that Life hurls my way. So what’s with the damn muffins?
Hey! I think I get it! What could possibly be more unpredictable than me developing a routine at the age of 66? I feel better now.
Oops! Gotta run. It’s time for morning tea . MM
The Meandering Matriarch 
Hmmm. I have always tended to routines and organization. (I am employed to be systematic and organized.) BUT I like my routines to be interspersed with surprises (for me as well as onlookers). The routines keep me sane and the surprises make life fun. I try to cultivate them both in a very deliberate attempt to be unpredictable about 10.02% of the time.
That’s a pretty tough balance to maintain! I reckon you’d have to be pretty organised to do that! 🙂
You might wonder why I replied to a 2-year-old post! That is because for a few weeks now I have been randomly and occasionally receiving old posts of yours (from 2009 and 2010) in my Google Reader inbox. Sometimes I notice the date, but this time I didn’t until a moment ago. Seems to me that this is an unacceptable level of unpredictability.
Hi. Clare. Yes, I sort of wondered just how it was that you noticed I’d updated that post. Now I know! As you’ve obviously noticed, I have been visiting some of my previous posts lately–usually as a result of getting some hits on them–and if I don’t remember them very well I have a look to see what the visitors are finding. Sometimes that results in a bit of editing, which is no doubt why they show up on your reader list. I didn’t know that happened, so I’m glad you alerted me to it? Not that ill stop doingit, but at least i know what happens…Now you know whence the random old posts arrive on your doorstep!
Hmmmm. As a fellow blogger, you may already have known that, but if not, isn’t it a nifty way to stimulate a bit of activity when you don’t feel much fresh inspiration? LoL. Actually, I’m reviewing some past articles for another project, so I apologies in advance if your reading list gets bombarded with old MM posts. I won’t say which ones, of course, as then they would be too predictable… 🙂
Cheers!
Suellen
The Meandering Matriarch https://meanderingmatriarch.com
I did wonder if it might be something like that. I sometimes update old posts as well and it is good to know what the effects are! I thought I had checked it one time using a dummy account or just asking a friend, but my conclusion was different. Could have different effects, I suppose, with Google Reader vs. WordPress followers vs. email followers, etc. Also you can fiddle with the dates in WordPress, and I wondered whether that might send out new notices.
Time to go to bed now here in the Pacific time zone.
Clare
I have a feeling it could have something todo with adding a new tag…. Will be interesting to test that out… Sleep well. Suellen
The Meandering Matriarch https://meanderingmatriarch.com
I do both. ^^ I am routinely spontaneous, an an unstructured but orderly way.
I, on the other hand, would appear to have spontaneously acquired a routine! Birds in a pod, eh? MM