What's monotony worth?

I have been pretty bad at keeping up with this blogging thing I know but I'm working on it. In an effort to keep working I have decided I need to create a schedule for my blogging, a routine that I can stick to thereby remembering to blog and having new and exciting topics on a consistent basis. In making this schedule and trying to adhere to the routine it got me thinking about responsibility. The responsibility of blogging, sure, but what other responsibilities require a routine? And with routine does monotony inevitably follow because of the constant similarity; the repetition of said routine? Routine is usually something we put in place to make sure we do something on time and correctly, aka Responsibility. Does monotony equal responsibility?

I got into a discussion about this with my father, a wise man, and he thought otherwise. Dear old Dad believed that routine was a comfort, something that fills our days and that allows us to have a constant rhythm to our life, a beat to follow. I agree with that, I actually like routine. It helps the days move along when you have something that you must do everyday. It creates a sense of achievement when that task is done or maybe something to look forward to constantly when that task is something as enjoyable as writing (if of course you like to write, though why would you if you didn't?).

However, certain routines are the signatures of being an adult such as paying bills and rent every month, taking your car in to be cleaned, oil changed, tires rotated, and if you're truly ambitious, walking a dog, feeding it, cleaning it, etc. These routines are not necessarily enjoyable though neither are they truly abhorrent but they certainly signify adulthood. If you are able to pay bills and rent on your own it can be assumed you have a job, another flag that you must be what society deems a "responsible adult". The same can be said for a car. Having a dog is usually something people do when they have what they like to call stability in their life, where they feel they can cater to a dog's need. Said stability comes from the routine of adulthood where money, time and the desire to have something else rely on you are in place.

Another argument could be made that all this consistency also comes from having a constant flow of cash which unfortunately cannot just be plucked off trees. The cash needs to come from a working job whereby repetitiveness tends to reign. Maybe not all the time but jobs usually have a daily steadiness where we do the same things everyday.

Yet another argument is that this whole idea of being what society calls an adult isn’t necessarily being an adult. Maturity is a large portion of what people like using as a qualifier for determining an adult. I have know people who were wise beyond their years and younger than I. By the same token I have known people who were 15 years my senior and had the maturity level of a teenager. I hate to say it but it’s usually men who have the hardest time growing into the maturity level of their years which is why I feel you usually see older men with younger women, they have a maturity match.

So what makes adulthood interesting? How do you break up the routine without feeling the shakiness? Do you need that routine and stability to be in place to be called an adult? One day I hope to test the boundaries of my routine and mix things up, maybe get a job that requires me to never be in one place for more than a few days. But until I feel that sudden urge to be a risk taker, I'll stick to the ebb and flow or lack thereof of good ol' regularity.