Do Routines Bring Joy and Comfort or Do They Breed Boredom?

Good morning! Just a quick entry here over coffee as I ponder the reality of routines and to do lists in our lives. Do they bring joy and comfort or just breed boredom and mundane life?

Recently I remembered moments in time where joy was just seething from my pores. I asked God to bring those times back again. The pure kind where you enjoy every moment of the day and look forward to the next moment. And I wondered if my routine was making my life mundane, or if it was really comforting to me.

Where is the Joy?

In reality there have been only a few times in my life where I have felt that joy, peace, and contentment to the level it felt it was oozing out my pores. But I’m a Christian and the Holy Spirit within me should show that I am at peace, have joy, and am content? I suppose there is a battle between good and evil over my heart and mind because my true joy lies at the end of the rainbow, at the end of the to do list, it seems – an area that is rarely reached. Where this came from, I’m not sure. But I suppose even as a child, I was always trying to get more into my day. That is for another blog post.

I’m in a constant quest of hoping for joy and contentment while grappling with my ever long and continually cumbersome “to do” list, which is sponsored by 1) my being a responsible person to get done what needs to get done and 2) my being determined to do a few things that I would like to accomplish of my own.

It’s not that I’m totally unhappy either. I am close to content, but not quite meeting the bar. I am to the point of constant marking and checking off the to do list every day until I’m exhausted and cannot do another thing.

Is Giving up Routine and the To Do List the Answer?

I know, I know. Many of you, including hubby George, say “give up the to do list” and “do more of what you want”. The thought would make me absolutely hyperventilate. And I would forget to do many things. I would lose my focus. My blood pressure meds and vitamins wouldn’t be taken, I’d forget about the laundry in the washing machine, we might forget to feed the cat, Mom would be forgotten, the housework overlooked. Would that be so bad?

There’s just so many elements now that I’m cramming into my life, that it is a must to have the to do list and my calendar to keep me straight. Perhaps it will be a goal for 2024 or even 2025, the year of retirement, but I just really need to use my list to steer me in the directions I want to go. I’ve enjoyed having the list and seeing what is on it each day.

But this blog entry is about routine and if is it comforting or mundane. I’m going to say both. There is an element of comfort in knowing what to expect and some of those things on the to do list become routine after a while. The routine is also established around time which is valuable, but a “thing done” becomes a part of a day or an hour. While it might be repeatable and comforting, it can also give one cause to feel like a robot if the day does not contain anything different, excitable, laughable, or of otherwise importance.

I’m not sure if anything can be resolved with this blog entry for me. I’m not giving up my to do list. I’m continuing to try and stay positive. I continue to pray for peace, joy, and contentment – instead of longing to be done with my list, longing to have time to myself. I suppose that is the key point as I type. It just hit me. The reason I have the to do list is to make sure I get to my things while still being responsible and doing the other things. It’s an effort to sneak and schedule everything, so that I can see and make sure that my stuff gets done too along with God’s stuff, Mom’s stuff, George’s stuff.

Here’s Where I find Joy

I do find little bits of joy during the day doing these things that help break up the schedule, the routine, the to do’s:

Vlogging, blogging, going out to eat, reading a book, trips, Dexter, sleep, Saturday’s, friends, and even my job when I don’t let it stress me out.

I don’t know that I can label myself as an over achiever. I don’t feel like my accomplishments are that many. Jokingly, I’m laughing here as I realize I want to say “I’m too busy to accomplish anything”. Although, it’s kinda true. Quite the conundrum.

And it’s payroll day again. Every Tuesday. Yes, there is a checklist. Standard work. Every week. But we all get paid! Hopefully I did not jinx myself.