Routine Interrupted

If you are like me, you have routines.

These simple activities give us comfort.  When asked about them, we often reply, "It's just what I do."

I have a very special routine each morning.  I wake up at 4:30 am, dress, get a cup of coffee, then watch CNN.  At precisely 5:10 am, I drive to meet my running companions, an extraordinary group of people we call The Running Club.  Bob, Kathryn, John, Steve, Kendall, Alee, and Debby.  More of a social club, really.  We only have a few simple rules - we never run so fast that we can't visit (we stay at a 'conversational' pace), we always enjoy a cup of coffee afterward, and we never stretch.  In the immortal words of Steve, "Dogs don't stretch."

Today, because of ankle pain, my routine was interrupted.  (Perhaps because I didn't stretch.)

But that's okay.  I got up, enjoyed a cup of coffee, visited with my dogs, and read the paper.  Slowly.  Read each page.  That's something that I rarely do, because I seem to be in such a hurry.  Today I slowed down and enjoyed a few simple things.

Even though my routine was interrupted, it was a good morning.

And it's going to be a good day.