The Cure for the Ordinary Life

First I will say that there's nothing wrong with ordinary. There have been many times in my life when I've wished for ordinary -- times of crisis or fear, for example. Ordinary is fine, but it's often boring. Part of the reason I think this way, I'm sure, is the nature of my worklife. I am always either slammed with work or not working much (or, as now through the first week of March, not at all). I'm fortunate to have earned enough in the crazy fall semester that I don't have to do much work right now, which is good; I'm burnt out! The problem is that, although while I'm in the midst of a busy work time I can't wait for life to slow down, I just don't know what to do with all that time on my hands. Travel is my favorite activity, but everyplace I want to go is either too cold or too expensive or (as in the case of Marrakech, which has suddenly become the place I most want to visit) takes literally days to get to. I have some time on my hands, but I don't necessarily want to spend days of it waiting in airports for connecting flights.

Every day I try to do something at least a little out of the ordinary. Today was fantastic. My roots needed a touch-up and I called yesterday, expecting to get an appointment in a week or two, and my stylist had had a cancellation for today. I got about three inches cut off my hair, had my roots done, and even added some highlights. My salon is amazing, and there is one young woman who works there who always tries to be the one to help with my hair and do my shampoo so she can hear about the concerts I've been through -- along with other aspects of my youth. She will seriously be slow on handing over the highlight foils so she can chat longer, and she is full of questions about what this or that person or band was like in person -- some of them I've actually met; others I've just from the seats. Today someone else did my shampoo, but she came back when my stylist was drying my hair. It was like heaven to have two people styling my hair at the same time while we had great conversation about travel, music, and life in general.

Tomorrow I'll do something I've never done before, but which is much less thrilling. I have phlebitis in my left calf, and the vein swells. Sometimes it makes my ankle and foot swell too. I'm finally having something done about that. It's called a vein ablasion and, as I understand it, isn't a very big deal. I'll be able to drive myself there and back (certainly I've done plenty of that for medical issues!) and afterwards will be sore for awhile. Next Monday I have to go back for a follow-up ultrasound. As I write about this, ordinary is sounding better every minute.