Letting Life Create Habits (When you lack any of your own!)
We are creatures of few habits. Dishes will sometimes get done after cooking, something after eating or sometimes before bed. The alarm clock is usually set to the same time each morning, but actually waking up could vary by 45 minutes or so. For both of us, our careers mean that we might work 8 hour days, or 12. The list truly does go on and it is fortunate that we have each found another person who will happily deal with so many variables.
Our two roommates? They are - in fact - creatures of very strict habit.
One little habit that I (Alex) have strangely developed with little Guthrie is our daily trip to the apartment's rooftop. Seriously, if I skip a day, or sneak up without him he knows and will give me the death stare until I right my terrible wrong.
The reason for these trips is to water our little secret garden that was arranged in the spring. I call it a garden but really... its a 0 out of 10, horticulturally-speaking. Still, it has spiced up recipes and has given me pride in contributing to growth.
Since its a shared space (and I'm selfish) I simply found a little secret nook and popped the plants there.
Guthrie's eyes widen when he hears me filling up the jugs and immediately waits by the door. At that point he runs down the hall to the stairs, darts up behind me like a good dog (.. or cat) and then either waits at the top landing or cautiously patrols the roof. The guy doesn't even seem to mind the occasional helicopter. If I were a cat, I would assume it was a metal monster bird ready to ravish my life. Not him. Its wind that he doesn't seem to care for.
That little garden has truly been a blessing. We had planted Basil, Dill, Mint, Strawberries, Jalapenos, and Tomatoes in addition to the windowsill bundles of Kale, Cilantro and Rosemary.
As fall enters with summer-like weather still pushing on, I can tell they are beginning to get confused, but alas, they have been good to me and have offered a feeling of life and growth to the sometimes sterile-feeling apartment life.
Without any natural habits of your own, it seems only right to partner with other forms of life that require routine. I'll miss checking in on those little guys, but probably not as much as Guth will. (Even today as I tried to coax him back down the stairs, he dug his claws into the carpet and Velcro'd himself put) That said, I'm already licking my lips thinking of the pesto batch I'll make once its time to chop down all of that basil!
