A Wintry Week of Ordinary

 

Getting to Friday, I'm realizing again how important is my need for the regular rhythms of life.

Simple things, like that Fri-Yay feeling, when you've been able to settle into a more or less normal work week and now it's coming to a satisfying end, are all that much more Yay when you've been without for as long as it feels I have.

Even having our normal laundry day back feels good. And getting at the other Saturday morning domestics in a repeated pattern. Feels orienting somehow. (And so much quicker and easier in our little house.)

Or getting out for my walk. Which, truth be told I didn't as much as I'd have liked to since I decided I prefer to keep my ears, nose and fingertips, thank you very much. Minus 30 with the windchill?!? In the middle of the day?!? No thank you. Call me a Canadian wuss, I don't care. I stayed indoors mostly this past week. But not yesterday. Not when it's a balmy minus 9! And not when I'm trying to establish a new walking route in our new neighbourhood.

Today, being Friday, it soothes my jangled-long-transition-intensive-moving nerves just to be ordinary. To check off the last things on the list, set myself up for next week's tasks, write out what we need for groceries, and plan out what we'll have for Friday supper.

Even throwing in a school concert (Jayden) at noon, which I get to do today, is more normal than last fall's city-absence that seriously interrupted some Gramma time.

And with both Ken and I having more regulated schedules by now, we have the freedom to try something new. I'm calling it 'Fridate' where we just take the whole afternoon to run errands together. At this point in our moving in, that includes fun trips to thrift stores in search of various specific and very ordinary items we still need for the new house. Mostly, we're so excited to find a sliding towel rack for $3, or kitchen storage features to help with the still-unruly fry pans.

It's good to enjoy the simple ways of life in a regular routine and more settled space, and doing the ordinary tasks of life together. So good. And I let myself rest in that, be deeply glad in that.

I realize Fridays don't feel like the end of the week for everyone. For some, the routines are different, especially if you are in retail or hospital settings. For decades for me, the weekend, especially Sunday, was the most demanding space of the entire week. Regardless, I wish you all the Fri-Yay feels on whatever day they fall for you.

This week marked 'blue Monday' and an awareness campaign for mental health. It also saw some of the coldest temperatures we've experienced in some time, at least in our part of the country. We are deep into winter.

So, let's keep looking out for each other, checking in on each other, lending each other some warmth and stability where we can.

Happy Friday, friends.
Celebrating the ordinary with you.