A Day In the Life of Barbara From California
A special element of blogging that I aodre, is that through my words, I am able to reach out and touch someone, and by reading your reponses, you are able to do the same for me, and many others who come visit this blog.
Today, I thought it would be enlightening to share a typical day in the life of Barbara From Califonria. The reputation I have garnished from people who know me, and who come into contact here in blogsville, is that I am one serious woman...A deep, penetrating thinker, someone whose thoughts go from heavy to heavier. Moreover, I am a woman who loves to think!
For the moment, I can honestly say that I find great peace of mind in stability and having a daily routine. Once upon a time, the tedium of daily living was just too boring for me, and I loved to create hurricanes, and if the truth be told, be directly in the eye of the storm. Today, I strive for calmness, peace of mind, and tranquility in my daily life. My thinking may be provocative, and lean towards the dramatic, or as my friend winterwheat says, I am definitely one of those die in the wool pot-stirrers.
So here is a daily look into my life...I wake up at 5:oo am (sometimes even 4:30 am), as I love the early morning. Before I get out of bed, I pray, ask God for a good day, and look where my own actions can best be served. I rise, dress in my work-out gear, eat breakfast, check my emails, and begin my daily exercise routine, which consists of 20 minutes on the tred-mill each morning (while I am being informed of the daily news and weather on the television), and after being all worked up into a sweat, I go for a 30 minute walk every day. When I come home, I shower dress and drive to work, which takes about one hour and a half in the busy Los Angeles rush hour traffic.
At work, I arrive, read all the reports distributed by the court, and prepare my cases accordingly. I absolutely love my new job and the court where I am working now, and as an extra bonus, there are some very nice people there as well. Sometimes, I leave by noon, other days, not until 4:30 pm or 5pm, but one must always factor the inevitable element of waiting into a court day.
When I come home, more time on the tred-mill, and if I have a chance I read or get some of my writing done. Of course, there is the daily paperwork, and never-ending phone calls to be made, and as you all know, I make time for my blog and to read yours as well. Then, it is off to make dinner, an evening walk, and if I am able, I watch a good murder/crime show, which inevitably puts me to sleep.
Of course there are other activities that filter through my day, including intimate moments with my husband, listening to music, talking on the telephone with my children, friends and relatives, and lately, there has been the never-ending worry that seems to have taken hold of my soul in light of all of the sorrows that have occurred over the past 6 months. I keep saying, this too shall pass. When I go to bed, I pray again, and usually fall asleep, not knowing how the crime show I am watching ends. As many of you know, I am a voracious reader, and it is not uncommon for me to read 7 or more books in a month, depending upon what is going on, and what I read.
In the next few months, I am looking forward to going to a weekend music festival with my husband, and of course, we are counting the days until our trip to Israel.
Fairly run of the mill, no?
On a special note, I am truly grateful for all the wonderful friends who are a part of my life. Many of you have been my rock, a great source of support during these past few months, and your good deeds shall not ever be forgotten. On a special note, I received a beautiful gift today, well, if the truth be told, it is a gorgeous metal with stone mezzuzah from a delightful woman whom I met on a make-up site. She and I have developed a wonderful friendship, through our love of fragrances, dogs, cosmetics, shopping and raw human emotions. I am humbled, truly.
So share with me, what, if anything in your day, makes it special, unique or just plain ordinary.
(which can be extraordinary, as it so turns out)
Thank you for your minds.
Today, I thought it would be enlightening to share a typical day in the life of Barbara From Califonria. The reputation I have garnished from people who know me, and who come into contact here in blogsville, is that I am one serious woman...A deep, penetrating thinker, someone whose thoughts go from heavy to heavier. Moreover, I am a woman who loves to think!
For the moment, I can honestly say that I find great peace of mind in stability and having a daily routine. Once upon a time, the tedium of daily living was just too boring for me, and I loved to create hurricanes, and if the truth be told, be directly in the eye of the storm. Today, I strive for calmness, peace of mind, and tranquility in my daily life. My thinking may be provocative, and lean towards the dramatic, or as my friend winterwheat says, I am definitely one of those die in the wool pot-stirrers.
So here is a daily look into my life...I wake up at 5:oo am (sometimes even 4:30 am), as I love the early morning. Before I get out of bed, I pray, ask God for a good day, and look where my own actions can best be served. I rise, dress in my work-out gear, eat breakfast, check my emails, and begin my daily exercise routine, which consists of 20 minutes on the tred-mill each morning (while I am being informed of the daily news and weather on the television), and after being all worked up into a sweat, I go for a 30 minute walk every day. When I come home, I shower dress and drive to work, which takes about one hour and a half in the busy Los Angeles rush hour traffic.
At work, I arrive, read all the reports distributed by the court, and prepare my cases accordingly. I absolutely love my new job and the court where I am working now, and as an extra bonus, there are some very nice people there as well. Sometimes, I leave by noon, other days, not until 4:30 pm or 5pm, but one must always factor the inevitable element of waiting into a court day.
When I come home, more time on the tred-mill, and if I have a chance I read or get some of my writing done. Of course, there is the daily paperwork, and never-ending phone calls to be made, and as you all know, I make time for my blog and to read yours as well. Then, it is off to make dinner, an evening walk, and if I am able, I watch a good murder/crime show, which inevitably puts me to sleep.
Of course there are other activities that filter through my day, including intimate moments with my husband, listening to music, talking on the telephone with my children, friends and relatives, and lately, there has been the never-ending worry that seems to have taken hold of my soul in light of all of the sorrows that have occurred over the past 6 months. I keep saying, this too shall pass. When I go to bed, I pray again, and usually fall asleep, not knowing how the crime show I am watching ends. As many of you know, I am a voracious reader, and it is not uncommon for me to read 7 or more books in a month, depending upon what is going on, and what I read.
In the next few months, I am looking forward to going to a weekend music festival with my husband, and of course, we are counting the days until our trip to Israel.
Fairly run of the mill, no?
On a special note, I am truly grateful for all the wonderful friends who are a part of my life. Many of you have been my rock, a great source of support during these past few months, and your good deeds shall not ever be forgotten. On a special note, I received a beautiful gift today, well, if the truth be told, it is a gorgeous metal with stone mezzuzah from a delightful woman whom I met on a make-up site. She and I have developed a wonderful friendship, through our love of fragrances, dogs, cosmetics, shopping and raw human emotions. I am humbled, truly.
So share with me, what, if anything in your day, makes it special, unique or just plain ordinary.
(which can be extraordinary, as it so turns out)
Thank you for your minds.
12 Comments:
Hi Barbara,
I must confess I am a soap whore, and it is one of the few things that makes my day special. I love fragrant soaps. Lush is my favorite place to shop. My standard poodles make my days special. They remind me to love when I forgotten how. My orchids make me smile. I watch over them every day.... Kind of like watching grass grow..... then to my surprise a flower will develop.
My life is full of major obstacles right now, most of which I don't write about, but these little things give me moments of serenity each and every day.
A hug and kisses from the kids. Coming home from work to shouts of "Mommy".
Have a great Shabbat. Will try to write over the weekend, as Fri . is a big test day.
Take care and be well. Enjoy the long weekend!
Fragrant soaps are wonderful and can easily add an element of tranquility to anyone's day.
Hugs and kisses from children are indeed some of the greatest gifts in existence! Have a good Shabbos too, queenie's mom, and good luck on the big test!
Wow...lol and I thought I had a busy life. My alarm goes off at 5:18, I hit snooze once. I get up get showered, dressed, make sandwhiches (usually for everyone, or else they'll eat junk food) let the dog out, feed the dog, and am out of the house bye 6:10. Catch the train at 6:23. I get to work about 6:40 and work til about 3:35.
My busiet time is after work, between getting the girls to dance, soccer, picking up from the train station, work, cooking, cleaning, errands. Trying to fit in visiting with my g/f on chat or on phone. Walking my dog for about 45 min. Then visiting with my kids while we watch tv.
Wow, when you see it all written down infront of you it looks like its crazy busy...wait...it is lol.
Have a great weekend.
Hi, what makes my day special is looking at my family... i awake and see my spouse laying next to me. I hear three alarms go off almost at the same time. I work at home i am a student, fulltime.. I work during the evening... So sometimes i am tired.. So to hear three alarms go off, people slamming doors,refrigerators, turnig off alarms and taking too long of a shower makes my day. Although it is quite irritating at times. I patiently wait for my three good day kisses, one from spouse, one from son, one from daughter and when the final lock locks on the door as they go off in the great beyond.... I am happy...... My family is what makes my day special. Three unique and beautiful people i have been blessed to share life with. They are my motivation...
Thanks for the glimpse into your day. I must say that I can relate to the path you have taken, as my life too was a veritable tornado of chaos followed by commotion. It is much better now and I strive for the tedium you have described. My life has been interesting enough… so much so that it nearly expired not all that long ago. Bring on the boredom!
Seriously though – although my life has not settled into the stability that you described – it is getting there and in all honesty, probably will have a different look to it. I say tedium only facetiously because, although I work to avoid negative consequences by eliminating the behaviors that cause them, life is still full of surprises – not all bad. I am truly excited by the measured, planned and paced accomplishments I have achieved along the way. It is a relief that I do not have to spend all my years in a single minute – there is much to look forward to.
I have learned how, much of the time, to live in the moment. I can feel my pleasure as well as my pain and know that in either case “this too shall pass.” And I’ll be ok. You are an inspiration to me. You have endured much and yet not fallen apart at the seams. I have gained renewed hope and faith that I too will be able to walk through the inevitable ups and downs of life that await me as gracefully as you have.
You are a remarkable woman.
~Mike
Family and friends are definitely the glue that holds us all together.
Mike, thank you so much for your kind words...I am humbled...
For me, I know that nothing is permanent, which may or may not be of value. That being said, pain passes, and one person's gift may turn out to be someone else's misery...
Living life truly in the moment, one day at a time keeps me sane...
WOW,you live a full life Barb!!!!
Sounds great:)I love that you have a special time planned with your man too...that is so important.
My day is special every single moment I am brathing.Simple as that.
Thanks for sharing~
Have a fab'weekend:)
Hi Barb, My husband just bought one of those mezzuzah's after we studied about it in Sunday school. He was so ingriged that he ordered one over the Internet.
My day is not as structured as yours. I get things done but the wind blows me in all directions. Today I am washing clothes for a friend of mine in a wheel chair. This afternoon, I will be waiting for the air conditioning man to come fix the air at our rent house. I clean, cook, work on emergency prepardness for our church, work on my business, help others and many other things. It's really not structured at all right now. I am reading a great book on structure though.
I could've guessed your routine! It's so Barbara! ;o) You are much more organized and self-controlled than I am.
I love chaos. I dislike routines, and so my days are never the same. However, there are certain consistencies.
I get up in the morning, early (usually) and start my morning writing exercise on my blogs (which just were listed as one of the top blogs in the area by our top two newspapers)! *wheee!*
Then I rummage about for something with caffeine in it. It's usually a diet coke, but it might be coffee. Sometimes I crave something more than what I can brew, and I'll do a coffee run down to the corner to find a cup of Starbucks waiting there for me.
I let the dogs run about (I own 2), settle down, and open up all my emails and faxes and get the day started.
The rest of the day is dependant upon what business I find or what's sent my way. 3-4 days a week, when she feels like it, my assistant shows up for about 3 hours to make phone calls and stir up business and do anything else I ask of her.
When my day ends, I catch up on blogging, friends, reading, or my family.
One of my well-meaning friends thinks that since I own 2 businesses and work from my home office that I have time to spare her, and she will occasionally drop by to visit. I have had to get firm with her, because owning my own businesses means I have less time to spare during the day, not more time.
But, life is good.
Sounds like a pretty present and a nice full day. Not run of the mill!!
You seem to have a good balance of things which make you healthy.
For me, a day is special when it seems unique or includes surprises, or my daily routine is improved by a small innovation which allows me to save time or enjoy things more. This comes in the form of finding interesting objects, taking a new road, or seeing something coincidental or thought-changing. I also love spending time with friends and taking things slow on the weekends, drawing out the day in the sun or shade.
Summer can be very relaxing.
Hey Barbara!!
I wish I had the ability to keep to a routine,,,,, I would not have been absent for so long here in Blogsville. But ,,, I am trying to re-establish a routine that includes Cyberspace again after a 3 month lull.
Glad to hear you are well, I have thought of you often in the past few months, so I was happy to see you are still here.
Your Friend,
Scott
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