Back to the Real World!

Welcome to Wyndspirit Dreams! This is the end of my vacation, and I am trying to make the transition back to the real world. Last week I talked about the need to get a break from structure and a scheduled life. Now I am trying to psych myself up by talking about the benefits of having a schedule. However, it is interesting that when I searched my quotes, I didn’t have one single quote using the words “structure” or “schedule” or “routine” in eighty pages of quotations. One would think that might indicate a subliminal resistance to living within a structure at all, yet, most of the time I do best with a routine, and I am well known to be a creature of habit. So, take my comments as you will…

I love structure when it is my choice. One summer I was so determined not to waste my summer vacation that I created a schedule for myself, and I followed it, too. I have never accomplished so much before or since. I did a tremendous amount of writing. I read a good chunk of the Bible. I taught myself touch typing. I started teaching myself to play a keyboard. And I had a great time! I was on vacation—everything I did was things I had wanted to do over vacation, but I can guarantee you I would not have done a fraction of them if I hadn’t scheduled them into my day.

Unfortunately, my life is structured out of necessity, and my schedule is full of things that are not fun. While I may not enjoy the structure, most of the time I don’t mind it. Sometimes having to arrange things around work actually helps me accomplish more. When I am on vacation or even just on a day off, it’s too easy to think, “I don’t feel like doing this right now—I’ll do it later.” Then “later” seldom arrives. When I have to arrange my life around work, I know there is no “later” at all—because I’ll be at work then. It’s now or never. And, admittedly, sometimes it does turn out to be never, but sometimes I actually do get things done.

Sometimes I wonder how much I could accomplish if I didn’t have a job taking an eight-hour bite out of my day. When I am depressed, I come up with mile-long lists of things I would do. But when I’m being realistic, I have to admit I wouldn’t accomplish a fraction of what I wanted to unless I set up a strict schedule like I did that one summer. Could I do it? Who knows? I’m not going to find out any time soon, because I have bills to pay, so I need to get back to work. And when it gets idle at work… I think I’ll kick back and dream of all the things I’ll do once I retire! Let’s see, that’s only thirty more years…
 

Wyndspirit Dreams
 meadowlark@wyndspirit.com
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