Life's Rhythm

Life definitely has a rhythm, right?  Most of us have a daily routine... alarm goes off, hit snooze three times, get up, start the coffee, get the kids breakfast, husband off to work, play/clean/blog/facebook/school/errants, lunch, naps, play/clean/blog/facebook/dinner, husband comes home, dinner as a family, family time, kids go to bed, watch tv, and then go to bed.  We sleep (with and without interruptions) then we start all over again.

It's not too bad. 

It's relatively predictable. 

It's comfortable.

But what if life's rhythm has too many upbeats?  For non-musicians, this could sound like an okay proposition.  Upbeats are good, right?

Not exactly. 

For musicians and the musically inclined, please tell me you know what I'm talking about.  I'm talking about NO DOWNBEATS, nothing to follow, no place to catch up.  Have you ever tried to tap your foot with no down beats?  Not one. 

My life is as such.  There are no downbeats.  There is nothing predictable except the unpredictable. 
Sure, you can find comfort in the predictability of laundry.  There will be laundry and lots of it, but the unpredictability of whether or not it will get done AND folded AND put away is maddening... for me.  Even if it does get washed, dried, folded and put away... there's more within the hour.

There is predictability in the regular schedule of meals.  But then, you get one kiddo having a growth spurt and you reside in the kitchen for days shoveling carrots and peanut butter sandwiches into a bottomless pit.  Since that's not enough, you have to hide boxes of cereal and make fruit inaccessible so they don't scavenge when you're FBing or clipping coupons. 

There is predictability in schedules.  But having a schedule does not mean that getting small children dressed and out the door is fun.  And what if someone gets sick?  That halts and rearranges everything.  Suddenly, I'm wiping down doorknobs and washing sheets and pleading with God in Heaven that they all don't get the puke virus that leads to diarrhea. 

Throw in a down economy (upbeat), Holidays that make you homesick (upbeat), a season in life where meaningful friendships are harder to find (upbeat), and a house that's too small (upbeat).... I get twitchy.  I'm hard to live with.  My husband agrees. 

Upbeats do add variety to a piece of music.  It can be interesting and fun and surprising... but it will make you CRAZY if there isn't something that you can tap your foot to. 

Not having any downbeats in life is like...

an itchy tag all the time. 

constant white noise that is just a little bit too loud. 

an unlocatable stench somewhere in the refrigerator. 

the train has left the station and I'm running to catch up.

.