It was quite amazing on Wednesday in Boulder. Once again the temperature high was well into the upper 60's if not lower 70's, which is impressive considering it was well below freezing the night before. As I sat scribbling some thoughts, the sun was setting behind the Foothills, casting long wintery shadows and incredible orange hues on all the objects out along Pearl Street. As the day draws to an end, I was preparing myself to work a quick four plus hour shift at the Coffee Shop. I was positioned by the window/garage door to watch all the unsuspecting sun celebrators catch a chill in their shorts, tee shirts and flip flops. What makes it so fun to think about is how we are creatures of the moment, rather than prepare for the inevitable winter we are supposed to have.I saw one of our regulars, who is a special needs gentleman. I find myself drawn to people with special needs, not that I feel sorry or need to serve them in anyway but in admiration for overcoming the challenges they face. This one guy comes in, talks to the barista for a minute verifying if he had enough change to pay for a cookie. He goes and picks a cookie out and asks if it is okay that he pays in change for his cookie. The scene pulls at my heart, because I wouldn't want to disappoint him in what seems like a routine of some sort.
I'm a fan of the daily ritual/habit. I try to have one, but with my career, nothing is ever the same. I work days, mids, nights or doubles. With the catering company job I have, it is mostly days, so I don't have the variation of schedules. My mother was getting upset at me awhile back when I said this is something I need to have in life. For me, the less variation in life that goes on the easier I feel about things. When my faux routine is broken, I get to work frazzled or off center and I find I can not get out of the weeds. I think things well settle down for myself when I finally have a job I feel that I belong at and start building something up a zero starting point.
It's funny how we are wired, because we all have certain routines, and we don't make a fuss about them. I consider myself a people watcher, which means I try to read those around me so I can best react to them and their needs. Of course this gets me in trouble because I assume people are people watchers like me, and I think they will see what I do and predict my movement. I can remember in class how people would do things to mess with me, and it would bug me and put me in the weeds so bad I could never recover and do my work well. That's the past, but I'm still a fan of habits/routines/rituals, it keeps my world spinning.
