I don't know about you, but this month my readership number is in the pits. I dearly hope this means my regulars are grilling hotdogs or hugging babies or taking road trips or reading Instagram instead of this confessional blog.
Anyway. Now is the perfect time for me to practice not confessing, while few are reading. Notice the new title? I am now merely showing up as me. Flawlessy Ordinary Me. Hah!
I have this theory about 'ordinary'. Inside each one of us is someone perfectly ordinary, and this ordinary person is the jewel of God. But only this 'ordinary' person is the jewel, not the extra-ordinary or the sub-ordinary person. It's up to each of us to stop, look, listen, and see with our hearts. This ordinary person, who cannot speed
I don't get much further than this in my theory.
ordinary
Probably aren't too many ordinary mornings in this culture that don't begin with coffee. And mine does, too.
Ordinary... My day starts with mewing, around 5:00 am. I rouse myself and my cat guides me to the bathroom, where he gets his first petting while I do the necessary. Then he vanishes into thin air and I have to pick up his trail in the kitchen. There I grab my favorite cup, jam it under my espresso machine's nozzle, and press its button. In the thirty second the machine takes to wake up and squirt dirty rinse water into my cup, I grab one bowl, one pouch, one 1/4 teaspoon, two laxatives, and one fork. Then back to the machine to pour out its rinse water, place my freshly heated cup under its nozzle again and push another button. For the next thirty seconds I pour the pouch's contents, two laxatives, one dry and one gooey, and 1/8 c. water into the cat bowl on the counter. Then I am faced with King Solomon's challenge: mix the cat food or add milk to my coffee to drink my first sip?
Since this is solo living other than at Tux's feeding times, I prioritize and do one... thing... s-l-o-w-l-y at a time. Self- reflection (heart-to-heart connection with me, and me and God), bicycling, heart-to-heart sharing with cyberfriends and one 'real' girlfriend, posting here, gardening, then cooking. Cleaning my house, opening mail, fixing my RV, speeding up sluggish toilets and painting bare patches on my house - these I only do when they are about to sting me on the ass.
If I die, I mean when I am about to die, I will look back and have little regret about a messy house and unopened mail, but when I take this longer perspective, I know I will regret not having fixed my RV.
My vacation calendar requires I fix it ( it turns over but won't catch), so I must rouse myself. I've been doing so, s-l-o-w-l-y, over the past six weeks. First - I roused my brother for his advice, second - I bought RV road assistance coverage instead of AAA, third - I showed up on bicycle to stage a sit-in at my regular mechanic's (who's an avid cyclist), who then -fourth - got interested enough to make some phone calls to rouse a mobile mechanic. Well, we will know if said mobile mechanic is sufficiently roused when he returns from vacation next week.
Please pray for my RV! I suspect the mice are to blame. Despite my directing mountains of bad vibes to them, and plugging in one ultrasonic device inside the RV, mice bedded down somewhere in its bowels with pieces of sponges, paper towels and dishcloths from its cabinet.
I comfort myself with the knowledge that mice would have chewed into a brand new RV's wires, or nested in it air filter, but for now these scenarios are mere wails, until a mobile mechanic weighs in. If only my RV were an easy tow.
It's $400 the mobile mechanic way and $400 for the complicated tow.
The 'conscience' in my head says "Why don't you have this all worked out? It's not hard to multi-task, except for >>you<<" But this is why I have APD and you do not LOL
One ordinary life to be continued...
You change your blog name more often than Mother Nature changes the seasons. But I guess that's appropriate since you've become a butterfly shedding its cocoon. By the way, my readership is down, too. I think it's just the summer and people spending less time in front of the computer.
ReplyDeleteA cat that has to take two laxatives daily? Wow, I don't know why that fascinates me but it does. LOL Dogs are different than cats, they have to good graces to let us get our coffee before they make demands.
Having an ordinary life is good if you compare it with the painful lives some people have to live due to disabilities and illnesses but I can't help wanting to be unique.
We used to keep some of our snow plow trucks in storage over the summer and know all too well how much damage mice can do. They especially love air filters. Where are you planning to go this year?
Yes, poor dear lost his ability to push his poop out. TMI??
DeleteI believe ordinary and unique belong in the same person. Like snow flakes, we're ordinary and unique.
The plan is to return to my favorite campground on the Bay of Fundy in Maine. Every February, I reserve the minute reservations open. Nerve racking to get MY space, bit I did, just a little later in August this year.
Did Don know his way around an engine? My Dad sure did.
Yes, he could fix anything from his street sweeper to front end loaders to lawn mowers and anything else with wheels. Between him and my dad I never needed to hire work done inside or outside the house or garage.
Delete>>sigh<< I have such respect for men like Don and our Dads.
DeleteOh. My. GOSH! Your morning routine is the same as mine, except I make warm cocoa in the microwave, instead of drinking coffee. Both cats come into the bathroom with me to get their pets while I am perched up on the high-profile potty. Then, I feed them first--just to shut them up so I can get my cocoa fixed and into the computer room I stroll. I always thought I had an ordinary life and I liked it that way. Growing up on a farm, life was ordinary every single day. Maybe the birth of a new calf or baby lamb would make it exciting, but................. you know--just ordinary. I have an ordinary life now too. I like it this way--no stress, or drama, or people yelling at me. Every now and then, God drops something extraordinary into my lap and that keeps me hopeful and wanting to keep going to see what else in waiting up the road.
ReplyDeleteWe had mice get into our pop-up camper one fall and they tore apart all the wiring, and the beds and-it was a total wreck. I hope you can get your RV fixed so you can go on a proper get-away. Down to Cape Cod or up to Acadia? Somewhere really natural and way cool. BTW--after your 6 months of intensive counseling, I think you are very EXTRAordinary. Most people would have been scared or not wanted to take the time to find out and get it figured out!!! But then, of course, you know, when it comes to YOU--I THINK you are the cutest and most sensible of all of them. :-) XX OO
Wow!! You had a pop-up camper TOO? We camped in one for ten years and loved it. I would have it still, but we switched to a van conversion RV just before Ev died. We knew I'd camp without him, and he wanted me to feel safe and secure. I didn't want to have to get out of the vehicle, go round to the back, and climb in. (Never have encountered scary circumstances, and I've been solo camping ten plus years.)...heading up to Acadia and beyond.
DeleteLOL...So cool your morning routine is like mine. Think of me when you're.... just kidding!
Thanks hugely for your feedback, Judy. I have felt scared, and let it all hang out, to FINALLY join the Normalcy Club.
I shall think of you tomorrow morning as I sit on my throne and pet my cats. LOL
DeleteYou don't know me (I came from Judy's blog) but, I have to say you're much more than ordinary - you're quite extraordinary to drive an RV, and camp by yourself. I don't think of myself as afraid too much, but not sure I'd be able to do what you seem to be more than capable of. Kudos! :)
ReplyDeleteMy readership fell off back some time ago; so many of my blog friends rely now mostly on FB. I like that also especially seeing photos, and keeping in touch with family I don't get to see very often. What I don't like, however, some will duplicate what they shared on FB right back into their blogs. I mean, it's not like I don't have the time to do both, but I find that kind of boring. LOL
Take care, I hope you get the RV up and running so you can enjoy camping soon. I really do admire you for that.
Hi Sally, thanks for visiting from Judy's blog. That's a great reference LOL I really appreciate your RV comment. It shores me up to keep pecking away at repair. There's always something, it's so old. Each year I face 3 choices: Repair it, replace it or give up camping. My spirit screams "NO!" to the last choice. (smart spirit?!)
ReplyDeleteSo your readership fell off, too... yeah, the FB plus the summer phenomenon.
I just visited your blog and left a comment :-)
May I say something? My eyes have trouble with black backgrounds - don't know if it's the contrast, or black feeling too, well, heavy and sad, but black prevents me from lingering. However, you have such awesome photographs, I will try to get past the black to read more. :-)
This fan checks your blog about once a week ... then I leave broken hearted without a new post! So glad to see you are back to blogging with us ... the good, the bad and the boring!
ReplyDeleteMy perfect morning is enjoying that first cup of coffee while reading the headlines on laptop, Skimm, email and Facebook. Although on days when I get up and immediately start the day do seem more energetic. I'm into cold brewed coffee lately. Most days I warm it in the microwave but today started out at 80 degrees at 8am, so it was iced coffee this morning.
My camping days are in the past (unless I got an RV). My family went camping every summer, as many weekends as we could. We had a two week backpack camping trip for my first honeymoon (in Ohio in August .... ugh) and we did a four week portage backpack trip in Canada. In 1976 to celebrate that bicentennial, hubby, sister and I did a road trip across the USA.
Now I prefer hotel. And even room service!!
AW, you were into hardcore camping, far more hardcore than me! Oh. My. Gosh. You did a two week backpack camping trip for your first honeymoon? SO DID I! (without the backpack, and in our first, tiny 1984 campervan.) We went to Canada, too - for our honeymoon.
ReplyDeleteI admire you for roughing it like you did. Surely now, you deserve room service.
My current RV IS like a small luxury hotel room. I'll show interior pictures if...WHEN I get it up and running.
I've never tasted cold brewed coffee. I should look into it, because I cannot bring my espresso machine with me camping :-( Where I go there is no electricity, no internet, no noisy neighbors, no heat waves...
RV camping is fun but I can't imagine roughing it like AW has done!
ReplyDeleteI like cold brewed coffee Starbucks style but I rarely do it at home.