Typical Tuesday

So today is a fairly typical Tuesday. No big plans. No sightseeing today. No jaunt to the coast to hang out with family. No beach time. No eating out. Nothing too exciting. Just a typical day in a typical week. Just a normal work day. Just life.

As usual I got up early to write my 500 words before letting myself get distracted by the internet. As usual Bob got up and got ready for work. We had a typical breakfast of sausages and frozen waffles because we like those things. We wondered out loud whether we might want to add some additional selections to our typical breakfast menu options. Is it possible that we are tired of waffles one day and eggs and hash browns the next? Hey, we bought some cereal the other day so we'll be okay.

As usual Bob left for work and I did my normal morning routines: wash the dishes, clean the place up, walk a mile or so, take a shower. Sometimes the "normal" routine includes going into town to do laundry, to fill a propane tank, to get more fresh water, supplies or groceries. Sometimes I get my morning chores done before Bob gets home for lunch. Sometimes.

The afternoon involves more of our normal work - whatever that means. Often I wonder what exactly I have accomplished with my day. Yep, that sure sounds like real life! I've never been good at explaining my work to people - particularly at times when I'm not "gainfully employed." I often struggle with measuring my worth by my accomplishments. I have heard all the reminders that "being" matters more than doing. If only I could figure out what that looks like. But never mind that. My typical afternoon may involve time on my current WIP (work in progress) whether that is a writing project or research or some other ongoing task. Obviously I don't have my usual "sorting and pitching" tasks staring me in the face like I did at home because I did not bring those bins and boxes with me. However, there still seems to be sorting and pitching to do. Indeed vigilant de-cluttering is imperative when living in such small quarters.

Meanwhile a typical work day for Bob might mean trimming trees or repairing a golf cart or keeping the vintage trucks running. Those are the hours he works each week to earn our campsite. When he gets home from that job, he might take a power nap before starting in on office work or photo editing or some other project.

A typical Tuesday may or may not include sitting in the sun or maybe a bike ride for Bob - although that might sound too strenuous after running the chain saw all day - so it can wait for his day off.

A typical day for me also includes taking time to intentionally study Spanish. When we arrived here and discovered we are surrounded by Spanish, I decided to be intentional in my efforts to improve my fluency. A friend recommended a great app for my phone which leads me through the day's challenges. A small step, but at least a step.

I'm not sure we have such a thing as a typical week although lately Bob works Sunday noon to Thursday noon so Friday and Saturday become his weekend. By the way, he does get to do one of those touristy adventures this Friday - going out to the Channel Islands with the kids. Nope, I'm not going on that adventure - preferring to stay on solid ground.

But back to our typical day...

What to make for supper? We could warm up the leftover fried rice and chicken from last night. Or maybe we'll stir-fry something tonight. That used to be a typical practice for us at home and I don't think we've done that here yet. Maybe it's time.

And when our work is done or we run out of energy we'll settle in for a typical evening of reading and listening to music or watching a movie. But first I'll go check the mailbox because I think it's a movie night; in fact, maybe it's "Gravity" - the Oscar-nominated new release starring Sandra Bullock. Thank you, Netflix!

Yes, it is a typical Tuesday. A pretty normal day. A good day. I like my life. I am feeling grateful for my new normal. For good days. A good life. A good place to live and work. This place where we sleep and eat and breathe. Where we live and move and have our being. I do appreciate that we can live in sunny California... Except... Whoa! It's not sunny today! It's cloudy and downright chilly. Wait a minute! That is not typical. In fact, it might be the first day in our two months here to not see the sun.

Okay; I guess this is not a typical Tuesday after all.

Oh, well. The sun will come out tomorrow. I'm pretty sure.