Jay and I are officially back in our New Westminster apartment. After a month of navigating a time zone eight hours ahead and unpredictable transit systems, a little bit of routine is genuinely comforting. Waking up in our own bed and knowing exactly how the coffee maker works feels like a sudden luxury.
There is a distinct difference between enjoying a routine and living in a rut. I realize that people are entirely different and require different things from life to feel secure. Many individuals have strict financial, work, or family obligations that demand anchors in one specific place. Those realities are completely valid. However, I often think that living in a permanent rut is simply a life choice for a large number of people. They find a comfortable groove and eventually stop looking over the edge.
We appreciate the familiar rhythm of domestic life today; it started with running a few loads of laundry and hanging the clothes to dry in the sun on the balcony. Once that chore was underway, we made a run to the Langley Farm Market. Jay and I needed to restock our depleted supply of vegetables and fruit. I was delighted to discover we had returned right in time for fresh cherry season. Although the BC Okanagan is on the other side of the mountains, their harvest is readily for sale here as a local specialty, so we happily bought a lot. On the way back, we stopped at the uptown Walmart to purchase a few specific items missing from the refrigerator. These simple errands help us reset and unpack our thoughts along with our bags.
Got this because of the name. My paternal grandmother used to bake twisted bread called this.
Yet, Jay and I always know that this comfort is merely a temporary pause. We actively decide to avoid the rut by choosing to live many different lives instead of just one. Our recent month in Morocco allowed us to discover new perspectives and rhythms that will always remain a part of us. These constant additions to our personal history mean we lead a richer existence than if we had simply stayed put. The absolute comfort of a predictable day and freshly dried laundry are certainly wonderful things. They just happen to be the perfect foundation for building whatever life we choose to live next.