The Routines That Shape Us

Routines are part of who I am. I think routines are probably part of most people's lives. I have a routine that I follow every day at work to start my morning. Before the day gets busy, I go through my email, get rid of the junk, and leave only the messages that require action. I keep my inbox cleaned out so that only emails needing my attention remain. Everything else is deleted, moved, or snoozed if I need to revisit it later.

Today, I am going to write about what a typical Sunday looks like for me.

As you know, I regularly post to this site, and those posts usually go live on Sundays. Sometimes I write them on Saturday or earlier in the week, but often I am writing these updates on Sunday morning if time permits. Occasionally, the writing stretches into the afternoon as I struggle to think of something worth sharing. Still, I have been posting regularly on Sundays for the past two or three years. I do not remember exactly when I started doing it, but it has become part of my routine. I am always looking for something to write about or share.

I enjoy the process. It also gives me memories to look back on when I visit the site and see what I was doing during a particular weekend.

Sunday is also a time for me to watch sports. During the fall and winter months, I spend time watching football. If baseball is on, I will of course watch the Royals or other teams I follow. The television is usually on for most of the day with some sporting event playing in the background. If Carrie and I are catching up on a show from the past week, I usually have my laptop nearby so I can keep tabs on whatever game is being played that Sunday.

As you may know, I play fantasy sports, so I make it a habit to check my various leagues. For baseball, I am currently in three different leagues. That means I check rosters regularly and move players around as needed. I try to review things before games start each day, but life gets busy and sometimes I miss making those changes.

On Sundays, I spend extra time reviewing my fantasy football leagues. I am also in three fantasy football leagues this season. Whether it is baseball or football, I enjoy having players to follow. They are often on teams that I would not normally watch, and having players spread across different teams gives me a reason to pay attention to games I might otherwise skip.

Sunday is also a time for me to think through the upcoming work week. As I mentioned earlier, I organize both my work and personal email throughout the week. On Sunday, however, I spend time reviewing my calendar and looking ahead at what is coming up. Sometimes I spot a scheduling conflict and can adjust meetings before Monday arrives. I like doing this because it helps me start the week feeling prepared. Occasionally, I will also spend some time getting ready for important meetings rather than leaving all of that work until Monday morning.

Sunday is also a good day to get some personal reading done. My goal over the past few months has been to read every day. I typically read a few pages before going to bed each night, but being intentional about reading has become part of my routine, and Sunday is no different.

For a while, Sunday mornings were also reserved for a run. As I have mentioned numerous times on this site, exercise routines are incredibly easy to lose. It has been a few weeks, or maybe even a month, since I last ran. We had several trips that disrupted my routine, and then the summer heat arrived. When temperatures started climbing toward 100 degrees, I simply was not motivated enough to get up early and run before it got too hot. That was really the biggest reason my running routine fell off again. Yes, I know the weather has cooled down, and I need to get started again, but it did not happen this Sunday.

A little about my routines, and specifically my Sundays. Routines are a good thing. I know my dad was a big routine person, too. The nightly runs, visiting the same restaurants, and following familiar patterns were all part of who he was. As I have gotten older, I have realized I am very much the same way.

Looking back, I probably did not fully appreciate those routines when I was younger. At the time, they were simply things Dad did because that was how he liked things. Now I understand that routines provide structure, comfort, and a sense of normalcy. Maybe that is why I find myself following many of the same patterns in my own life. Whether it is checking email, setting aside time for sports, reviewing my calendar, reading, or writing these Sunday posts, those routines help mark the passage of time and keep me grounded.

If I miss doing something that is normally part of my routine, it just does not feel quite right. Maybe that is one more way I am becoming more like my dad every year.

That is all for today and my post about routines. Have a great rest of your Sunday and a wonderful week ahead.

A Busy Week in Review from Dinner with Cousins, Meetings, Chiefs Football, Dinner, Tailgating, and Volleyball… What’s Next?

What a week! It was a busy week at work and at home. We went to Kansas City for dinner, I attended meetings downtown on Wednesday and Thursday, Kansas City Chiefs played Thursday night, Friday we met with family at Shirrons’, and then Saturday was Washburn football with Washburn volleyball in the evening. Busy and fun weekend…

Tuesday night Carrie and I traveled into Kansas City to meet up with some of my siblings and cousins. I know my sister, Betsy, has many more pictures, but I was able to take a few pictures of others at the dinner. We met at YaYa’s Euro Bistro in Kansas City. This was the first time for non-Kansas City cousins to attend. We had a fun time and it was great to see everyone. Catch up and hear stories. Our cousin, Mike, had reserved a private dining space for us which worked out great! I hope we are able to do this again in the future and maybe on a weekend.

On Wednesday, I attended meetings in downtown Topeka for the Kansas Board of Regents. Other CIO’s at the regent institutions were attending the meeting to be available for discussion and comment on funding from the state. Happy to report that the funding was approved. I attended to show support and show that Washburn University is involved and needs support. On Thursday, I went back to the Kansas Board of Regents full board meeting where the proposal was approved. Happy to report that Washburn was approved to get funding, so we will be working over the next few weeks to develop a plan for allocation of funds.

This was my first time attending a Kansas Board of Regents meeting and I found it very interesting. It was good to catch up with fellow CIO’s from other institutions. We went out to lunch on Wednesday following the meeting and made plans for Thursday on who would return and how we would proceed. I have been meeting with other CIO’s the past year and this was only our second time to meet in-person as our regular monthly meetings are on-line. It was good to see everyone and share stories over lunch.

Thursday night was Kansas City Chiefs football. We were invited to watch the game at our friend Chris’s house. It was our “lucky” place to watch last year, so he invited us back to watch the game. The Kansas City Chiefs did not look great to start the game, but came to live and we were able to win the game 27 - 24. The Chiefs are 2 - 0 to start the season, so sitting good so far. 

Friday night, Carrie and I went to her parents to have dinner and visit with friends from Arkansas. Nancy and Jack were up for a golf tournament Jack was playing in with Eddie. Such a fun couple! We at dinner and then sat around listening to stories, some of which we have heard a few times, but some new stories too. I love sitting around and hearing stories be told. I will see Nancy and Jack in early October when I am down in Helena, AR for King Biscuit Blues Festival. 

Saturday took us out to Washburn University for tailgating and football. It was a hot Saturday with the sun beating down for most of the first half. I saw a number of friends and it was good to catch up with them. I saw some friends we had not seen in a few years, so it was good to talk to them. One has their daughter attending Washburn, so it sounds like our friends will be out for more games in the future. 

Washburn football did not start off well and could never recover against University of Nebraska at Kearney. We lost the game 21 - 13, so that was disappointing to lose a game and to lose at home. We play at Missouri Western State University on September 24.

Saturday evening, Carrie, Greg, Erin, and I attended Washburn volleyball. We lost against Northwest Missouri State 3 - 1. We got behind to start 2 - 0, won the third set, and then could not get it going in the fourth set. A rare loss for Washburn volleyball.

A busy week also means that I did not eat too great. Football, tailgating, and seeing family and friends had me eating well over my points for the week. So, at my weigh-in Sunday morning, I gained two pounds over last week. Disappointed, but I am not surprised based on how I ate this past week. 

This week will likely not be much better with our first Royals game of the season on Friday and then Saturday a fancy dinner to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. I will continue to stay focused and hope to get back to working out too. That was the other part I did not get in this past week with everything happening was that I only worked out twice. So, a lot of room for improvement for this week. 

Posting this update mid-day on Sunday as I did not have a chance to write or think about a post during the week. Hoping to get back on target this next week. Have a great week and I hope the weather stays cool.