An Average Saturday Living the Simple Life; A Moment with Bill Reflection

Allow me to share a few lyrics from “A Well Respected Man” before I begin:

'Cause he gets up in the morning,
And he goes to work at nine,
And he comes back home at five-thirty,
Gets the same train every time.
'Cause his world is built 'round punctuality,
It never fails.

And now allow me to share my own day, a day in the life, welcome to my world, all that and more.

I’m up most mornings at six. I’m usually awake by five, especially during the spring and summer when the light comes early in the mornings and the quail chirp and the chickens cluck, all eager to begin their days. I spend that first hour, from five to six, in bed listening to the sounds of the day beginning, before engines are started and the humans begin their chase. The finches, the hawks, the jays and the squirrels, all say good morning to me as they prepare to do whatever it is critters do.

I can hear the raccoons making their way back home after working the night shift. The occasional clumsy possum will also announce his departure, stepping aside for the creatures of the daylight, fully-fed and eager for a day of rest on limbs far above us all.

Finally I toss aside the covers and begin the pre-shower rounds. I let the hens out of the coop, give them some grain, then toss some into the aviary for the quail. I check the water dishes, then say hello to the baby quail in the “nursery” and make sure they had a restful and safe night. The dogs of course, the kitten named Josie, the rabbits named Alice, Scout and Toby, and the guineas, all fed, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, my first task is done. A quick shower, breakfast with Bev, and a discussion of the coming day.

Not this boy!

I go to work when I want to go to work, and on Saturdays I don’t even like the word “work.” Whatever I do on Saturday is a labor of love.

Collect the eggs? A labor of love! Pick berries? A labor of love! Sprinkle more rabbit poop on the garden? A labor of love! Take new babies out of the incubator? A labor of love! Mend fences? Well, you get it, right?

During the “work week” I’m at my desk writing by seven. On weekends that flies out the window. I dawdle. I’m a world-class dawdler and proud of it. In fact, I deserve it. I’ve worked traditional jobs for almost forty-five years so I figure I deserve dawdling time. I’ll play on the computer. I’ll go to the library. I’ll talk to a neighbor over the fence. I’ll go to the farming center and toss around ideas with the proprietor there. I’ll always treat myself, and Bev, to a mocha because what says leisure better than a mocha?

At some point in time, Bev and I will decide what our big activity for the day will be. Will we go to a movie? Will we go for a long walk? Will we build something that we’ve been planning? Will we have a cribbage tournament, or will we go to several garage sales?

Or are we feeling ambitious? Will we go hiking in the mountains? Will we go for a long drive in the country? Will we take our cameras and shoot pictures of the beauty that surrounds us? Or will we just sit on chairs on our deck and watch as our urban farm grows and thrives?

No, not on Saturdays I don’t. Chances are I never left but if I did, I left with Bev and she is my home. We have built a life together over the past seven years. There were painful times, as there always are with two adults with baggage to spare, but we’ve worked through it all. Today she is my best friend and I am hers. We have similar goals. We see the world with similar eyes. We embrace simplicity and find so much happiness from what others might consider mundane and boring.

We do not need to spend money to have a riotous time. We don’t need luxuries. Would it be nice to travel? Of course, but we both know that if we did we would constantly long to be back home, so we just skip the middle part of that scenario and stay close to home.

Nope! No way! No chance!

I am very punctual during the week. On weekends, forget about it. My only true requirement is keeping the animals safe and alive. After that I’m free as a bird with no obligations.

Kind of like being a kid!

I enjoy hopping on Facebook and reading some of the posts. I gotta do this…I gotta do that….the kids need this done today….I don’t have enough hours to get everything done…gotta go shopping….gotta run these errands…..

For me? I don’t gotta do nothing! How’s that for a double negative?

In fact, I have a mantra on weekends…..do what I want to do and enjoy the hell out of it!

Now I’m mixing up the song lyrics. Sheez!

So I was walking along yesterday, enjoying beautiful seventy degree weather, and a teenager rode by me on his skakeboard. While he was riding he was texting on his phone. HE….WAS….TEXTING….ON…..HIS…..PHONE!

So I went to Fred Meyer for some screws. There’s a joke in there somewhere but I better leave it alone. Anyway, I’m in the store and people are talking on their phones, texting on their phones, grumpier than all hell and running into each other with their carts.

So I was driving home and people were weaving in and out of traffic, honking at each other, driving through stop signs, talking on their phones while driving and yes, texting while driving.

I was a nervous wreck.

I got home and I was in heaven.

I leave the bigger questions about life to others. What’s the meaning of life? How did it all begin? There are people far-smarter than me and those are good questions for them to tackle. Me? I just live a simple life of love and contentment.

Never leave home again.

Finding happiness and peace of mind is not a difficult task. It doesn’t have to cost you a bunch of bucks. You don’t have to travel to find it. You won’t find it on your cell phone.

Just turn left at Simplicity Lane, go two blocks and hang a right on Chill Out Avenue. Look for a person who looks a lot like you did before life got so damned complicated. Introduce yourself. Spend some time with that person. Smile. Laugh. Be silly.

Then I want both of you to come visit me next Saturday. I’ll even let you feed the quail. Make sure you wear rubber boots, though; the chicken poop is here, there and everywhere. Yes, another song title was just tossed in.

Livin’ large and lovin’ life in Olympia, Washington.

2015 William D. Holland (aka billybuc)