routine vs spontanaeity.

i have always been one to buck routine. i hate it, i think its monotonous, i dislike the predictability of it. i prefer to not have constraints on my time and to be spontaneous. well, reality is a mix.

at my last job, my schedule was never the same. there was a slight level of consistency but the hours were grueling and the schedule changed each week because of some special circumstance that i had absolutely no sense of routine or ability to construct a consistent investment in any sort of activity.

working at this new job has certainly changed my life already (5 weeks in). i always have two days off in a row, i have the same hours no matter what on the days i work, and i only work one evening! i am naturally a night owl...so mornings and i? we're not friends. now that i commute, however, i am having to go to bed around 10pm (which is absolutely preposterous to me!) and getting up between 5-6am everyday. it is a complete shift. (although, i have witnessed some of the most striking sunrises!)

i have also had to really establish some sort of routine to make sure that i'm packing my lunch each day (the night before, because it won't happen in the morning!), making it to the gym (still figuring this out..), and keeping up personal communication with those i love despite losing 3 hrs of my day in the car.

i really don't know when i'll move to denver. i get asked that question all the time. i have days when i'm ready now and others when i'm still so thankful for this time close to my family. i know it will be clear but in the meantime, i didn't want to waste that time in the car that i drive. so i have started listening to sermons, worship music and praying during that time. it has done wonders for relationship with the Lord. i am so grateful for that 'built-in' time to collect my thoughts, get prepared for the day and stay focused on the eternal.

i suppose routine isn't as awful as i have made it out to be; it's saving me money and keeping me in shape, both physically and spiritually. yet no matter when i move, i suspect that my life will be a balance of the two! i am thankful for what i am learning and i am loving my new job!