As life has grown more hectic, I’ve found comfort in schedules and routines. They’ve helped me achieve a flow that makes me feel, at the end of the day, accomplished. Over the years, as the number of responsibilities has grown I’ve allowed my left brain to take over the running of the ranch.
Left brain’s main function is wrangling my activities into daily routines that help me gain control over my time. The activities, once made routine, become part of the flow. They require little consideration. The ranch runs smoothly. Such little concentration is required, in fact, that sometimes I check out. The right side of my brain goes rogue.
Oh look, there goes my right brain now, running free, skipping, hopping, laughing and jumping over tumbleweeds, escaping from the great mundane. Isn’t that so cute? Ut oh, here comes the boss. Old Lefty checked in, realized we had had a runner and threw a lasso of stern consciousness through the foggy environs. Caught that little dogie mid-stride and reeled him in. Lefty will have none of this free association bull crap until all routines have been pronounced complete and my head hits the pillow.
There will come a time when my more nimble right brain recognizes that our routines are no longer as vital to the smooth running of our days. It will devise a clever scheme to neutralize old Lefty. We’ll retire him to a nice farm, maybe in Texas, and then my right brain and I will skip off into the sunset. Yodeling.
Oh nice try, little dogie-you almost made it that time!
Chicken's Consigliere 
Have you seen Jill Bolte Taylor’s TED talk called My Stroke of Insight? She’s a brain scientist who had a stroke and describes it in detail, especially what it felt like to have the left side of her brain shut down from the stroke and trying to get it to work again for long enough to call for help. Your post reminded me of her descriptions of her right and left side consciousnesses. I would post a link to it, but I’m afraid the video might embed if I do, and that seems rude to me for some reason.
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Doug, I have seen it- I’ve been meaning to ask you if you’ve seen it. I have three favorite Ted talks and that is one of them. Oh my God, oh my God, we’re having a stroke!! She’s great.
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She wrote a book by the same name, which is also fascinating and goes into great detail. My father had a massive stroke seven years ago and is paralyzed on his left side, which means the damage was in the right side of his brain. I am so thankful it happened that way as he was still able to talk, even though he lost so much else. There was another gent in the hospital at the same time whose stroke was the opposite way and he never learned to talk again. That would be very hard, I think.
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Hi Jenny-I’m glad he can speak, too. It has to be so hard to have had a brain/body that has worked one way all your life, and suddenly, it doesn’t anymore.
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I never did get the hang of having a routine. But as I age and my memory gets worse and worse, I am seeing the value in it, and am trying to establish one before I forget why I want to … Give my regards to Lefty; s/he doesn’t get much credit but s/he’s really a decent sort 🙂
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Memory is a part of why I try to come up with routines. I’m likely to forget things if I don’t have one. Lefty helps me through the day, for sure, however, I’ve always felt that it was Righty who was misunderstood. People understand routine and business. Day dreaming and it’s contributions to the world? Unless you’re a creative genius with a license to dream, not so much.
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Oh, I hear you, my friend. In hindsight, my comment does not make that clear, but I am very right brain, and feel very much like it’s seen as less desirable in The Real World than the left brain strengths. It’s one reason I love the internet because it has connected me with like-minded people. Dream on, Chicken, and I mean that in a positive way!
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I sure like this post –for itself and the fact it got me looking up dogies. When I was a kid I used to hear Roy Rogers sing what sounded like “Git Along, Little Doggies”. I thought he’d never make good as a cowboy til he could correctly identify a cow, I always expected some herder to ride up and say,”Them ain’t doggies, Roy, them’s cows!” I’m embarrassed by how old I was (10 minutes younger than I am now) before I learned the difference. Dogies is stray calves.
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Hi Geo-thank you. I had to look it up, too:-) these days I think you can get along with either spelling but I like to talk authentic cowboyan in my imagination
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This had my grinnin’ ear-to-ear. You’re so right when you say how underappreciated day dreamers are. But you’ve got to feel sorry for ol’ Lefty. He never gets to have any fun. I’d love to see some photos of your ranch. I, too, am a country gal.
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I like to make you grin, Jayne. You are welcome at my ranch anytime. Bring your horse. It is a no-spider zone, however, so you’ll have to leave all your creepy little friends back on the hill.
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I believe I had a drink with the right side of your brain once. I can’t even THINK the word “tequila” anymore…
How are you, my friend?
Pearl
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Hi Pearl, Is it lick, shoot bite, or bite shoot lick? Or is it lick, shoot, yell woo hoo and kiss a stranger? I can never keep the order straight. We may need to practice some more. Maybe we’ll bring the left brains along this time to take notes. Bwah hahahah. No.
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