I am a creature of habit. I think most of us are. We find a way of doing things that works for us and we stick to it. When I get ready for work every day, it’s the same thing. Put on the coffee, toast my English muffin, eat a couple of boiled eggs and then my muffin along with some fruit. Then it’s shower, shave in the shower, then towel off, put in my hair product, apply deodorant, lotion myself up, get dressed, take my vitamins and supplements and brush my teeth and out the door I go to face another day. Complicating my routine is the 2-3 times a week I’m imposed upon to take the dog for her morning walk. Darn dog messing up my routine.
Talk about your messed up routines. Last week’s flooding messed things up for many of us. When Loop 12 was shut down due to flood waters and businesses in the Northwest Highway area were deemed off limits because of floodwaters, many Metroplex residents had to make major daily changes for part of their work week. The overflow of traffic trying to maneuver around all the flooding made it into part of my drive into work. Imagine my frustration when my normally 10-15 drive ballooned to more than 45 minutes. I was steaming. It was a breaking news day and there I sat trying to get to the newsroom.
I’m one of those people who always runs early. If you tell me an event starts at noon, I’m there at 11:45 AM. I back time how long it will take me to travel where I’m going and always leave much earlier than necessary to beat the 15 minute early window I set for myself. Much to my chagrin, my wife operates on an opposite schedule. It seems the closer we get to the time I want to leave, the slower she moves, adding to my stress level. It’s strange because I’m usually so easygoing and she is usually so high strung. When it comes to travel or getting from point A to point B, our roles reverse.
My ridiculous routines border on obsessive. Since a little boy I have always eaten my food one thing at a time. I sometime vary from this, but I generally eat the things I like least on my plate, working up to the best thing. I want the last flavor in my mouth to be the best flavor. I will mix a few things, like beans and rice, but I’ll eat all of that concoction before I move on to the next thing. And bread, well I don’t eat a lot, but when I do I like to save it for sopping. Crazy thing is the wife, who’s from Chicago, loves sauces and the juicy part of a meal. It’s great that I don’t get criticized when I use my fingers or even sometimes flat out lick my plate to get every drop. She approves wholeheartedly. We’re a perfect match in that regard.
Now if I could only get her on my schedule when it comes to travel.
That’s what I’m thinking.
Rick Hadley
24/7 News