I don't know if I've previously blogged about this or not but I thought it might be helpful for any of my regular readers (if I have any) to have a bit of a thumb nail sketch of my daily life. This could be a bit of a bore so only read this entry if you have trouble getting to sleep and it's near your bed time. I would also like to mention that Vancouver voters have expressed that they are indeed sane and have re-elected Gregor Robertson for mayor. The absolute opposite to former Toronto mayor Rob Ford in every conceivable (and inconceivable) way. I am hoping that during this extended four year mandate that a lasting and human solution will be found to homelessness.
I will begin with today. Sunday mornings I do laundry, so I get up early. This morning I changed my sheets. I do this every other week when I wash my bedding with everything else. Because I only like to take up one washer and dryer a week (we have only three of each in my building for more than sixty tenants) I do towels and cloths on alternating weeks to sheets. True, it isn't every week for everything as some of you might think it ought to be but it's better than nothing and given the circumstances that I live under compromise is often necessary. I was up at five this morning (lights out just after ten last night so I've still had enough sleep) so I did my usual morning thing: brushed my teeth, washed and dried my bathroom glass in the kitchen, shaved, trimmed my hair (I haven't needed to see a barber in more than three decades), then made my bed. Upon making my bed in the mornings I always convert it into a day sofa with the help of my eleven cushions, many sporting bright colours of chartreuse, turquoise, purple, orange, saffron and magenta, yes very beautiful, and once it is all rearranged again it does look lovely against my peacock blue bedspread that goes back to when I was seventeen, or just over forty years ago. Even though I'm a single male I still do my utmost to keep my living environment beautiful and clean.
Following my shower I clean my apartment every day beginning with the bathroom, then the floor edges around the rugs and dusting. Since I do this daily this takes all of five minutes (I live in a 350 square foot unit) and I don't have to schedule an hour every week to clean because it's always clean. I am also careful to clean and wash up in the kitchen whenever I use it. If it's a laundry day, then I put on clean clothes and take everything downstairs to wash. Then, I open the blinds, and the window and say cheerfully "Muy buenos dias, todo el mundo", Spanish or a very good morning to the whole world (or everybody), pour a tall glass of orange juice and do my sacred reading (three Bible passages: psalm, epistle, gospel), followed by a selection from the devotional book God Calling.
I make a half pot of coffee, decaf four times a week, the rest of the week it's fully leaded. I check email, answer emails as needed, check my blog, listen to the radio, usually CBC Radio One, news and current events and often a Spanish language program on Co-op Radio. I try to fit in some painting as well as school work. Right now I'm taking an online university course in Spanish from the University of Barcelona about democracy and public decision making. Then I have breakfast, usually a bowl of granola or Shreddies but on Saturdays eggs and toast, usually a big cheese omelette. I also try to get in one or two servings of fruit, a banana and maybe something else. I particularly enjoy strawberries.
On week days I try to get out as soon as possible to go to work. If it's a Saturday I go for a long walk, either in Pacific Spirit Park forest or the forest in Stanley Park or I walk through the wealthy neighbourhoods to a far off coffee shop that I particularly enjoy where I sit for up to one and a half hours sometimes with my sketchbook. Sunday mornings I go to church, then following coffee with other parishioners I will go for a walk, sometimes meet a friend for coffee and often my Mexican friend later in the afternoon where we speak Spanish, then English for a while.
If I start work a bit later I try to have a two to three mile walk and then maybe spend some time in a local café working on a drawing in my sketch book. Throughout my work day, which takes me all over Vancouver, I meet with and explore the community with my mental health clients, I am always on public transit and I try to also walk as much as possible between appointments, assuring that I get at least five miles of walking in every day. Sometimes I will meet a friend in a café for a visit and maybe dinner as well after work. Otherwise, on the way home I stop to buy whatever groceries are needed. When I get home I put on something for dinner, often reheated leftovers (I cook in large batches, two to three times a week), and do the day's paperwork while listening to CBC on the radio. I also check emails and usually begin writing my blog entry for the day at this time or just after dinner.
Dinner I eat while sprawled on my bed-sofa propped up by cushions and listening to the six o-clock news. Then I clean up the dishes, wipe everything down, write my blog, listen to more radio, paint, read, then try to get into bed before ten. Everything usually starts again at around 5:30. This is a rhythm of life that I have developed over the years and it really helps keep me grounded. Besides, no one else is going to do it for me.
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