Saturday Around Town, With No Schedule

This past weekend I did something I hardly ever do anymore – I tossed my normal Saturday routine out the window and followed my spirit wherever it decided to lead me.

You can credit (or blame) the lovely weather, along with the fact that our little corner of the world moved into its Autumn rhythms after the lazy days of summer. A couple of late summer/early fall events came to town — a college football game at a local university, and a day-long jazz festival.

These dynamics conspired to put me out of my normal mindset and convinced me that my routine – while soothing, and necessary – doesn’t always have to call all the shots. Breaking out of it was liberating, and not really all that difficult. You just have to ask yourself, “What’s the downside of doing something different for a change?”

When I couldn’t come up with a good answer, I decided to just give it shot.

And so I did.

*****

If you’re like me (and most adults), you have a pretty strict routine you follow during the week. Here’s a look at what Saturdays are usually like for me:

1. Wake up around 8:30, make coffee, spend an hour or so doing work at the laptop.
2. Make a cup of tea and have a quick breakfast (usually just a piece of fruit. Dammit).
3. Prep tonight’s dinner.
4. Hit tennis and ride my bike for an hour or so.
5. Shower.
6. Head out with the family, usually for lunch and then some excursion around North Jersey.
7. Return home around 3ish.
8. Watch sports for an hour or so
9. Read, nap, wake up around 6:30.
10. Make dinner
11. Do some work, watch more sports, read.
12. Go to bed, usually after midnight.

You could set my Saturday clock by the above schedule and it would be accurate 90% of the time. My routine the other six days of the week is pretty set as well. What can I say? ItIsWhatItIs.

But this past Saturday, the heavens aligned in such a way that I could abandon the usual schedule and not fall into a mind-melting panic.

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Now, it must be said: I haven’t always been tied to a strict schedule. In my 20s and early 30s I more or less winged it, without caring or even putting much thought into what I would do on a particular day – unless there was some sporting event or rock band I just had to see.

There was a certain freedom to improvising your way through life. But there was also a certain chaos. It’s no coincidence that the free-wheeling period of my life also happened to coincide with a tendency to change jobs and apartments every year or so — and spend much of my time struggling to pay the bills.

It was pretty cool – all the way until I found my broke-ass self broke again.

In my mid-30s, I finally decided that my life needed more structure. It was an important turning point. As much as I hated the idea of developing a routine, I knew I needed it. Then I grew to like it. Then I grew to depend on it. Then I got all batshit when I varied from it.

Anyway, about this past Saturday….

*****

We live about six miles from Montclair State University, a small college that fields a football team made up pretty much exclusively of players from New Jersey (weird, because most colleges pull athletes from all over).

The distance to Montclair State is within bicycling range of our home – even accounting for the steep and plentiful hills in our area. A couple decades ago I could have biked this far and back again three times in my sleep.

But then, a couple of decades I could do lots of things…

On this particular Saturday, Montclair State’s football team had their home opener against visiting Lycoming College (which I had never heard of). It was a beautiful day, with sunny skies and moderate temps — no humidity. Perfect weather for cycling and football.

Meanwhile, the other three family members had other things they needed to do. So there were no family obligations.

I figured, why not just ride my bike over to the stadium and watch some of the game? So I hopped on my trusty old 21-speed Jamis (bought 20-plus years ago in NYC) and pedaled my way toward Montclair State. On the way I noticed a bunch of people and cars on the south end of downtown Montclair, more than usual on a Saturday morning.

Turns out today was also the main event of the Montclair Jazz Festival. It’s a well-respected JazzFest — mainly because Montclair is close to New York City, the unofficial Jazz Capital of the World. I tucked this info into the back of my mind as I pedaled my way to the game.

I won’t bore you with all the details. I made it to the game and watched the first half sitting just outside the stadium fence, with a clear view of the action. You can watch for free this way (bonus!).

After that I wound my way back to the jazz festival (also free!), figuring I’d watch a couple tunes and then pedal back home to the usual routine. I watched one song at the main stage, then another, then went to a smaller stage to see some lesser-known performers. The side stage was my preferred venue — less crowded, and musicians hungry to impress.

This is when the script changed. Because I bought a beer.

One thing to know about me is that when I buy a beer in mid-afternoon, it’s my little way of tossing caution to the wind and ditching the routine.

I drank the beer, watched a couple more tunes, pedaled home, quickly showered, skipped lunch, grabbed a couple more beers from the fridge, put them in my backpack and cycled back to the JazzFest, where I pretty much had a blast doing the exact thing I would never be doing according to my usual routine.

Well, it turned out to be a fabulous experience.

My wife joined me later and we stayed into the early evening (the kids had other stuff going on). This was another bonus, because my wife and I had a chance to spend some time together, just the two of us listening to live music, which is something you don’t get to do a lot once you turn the corner into parenthood.

Anyway, that was my Saturday around town: watching college football and live jazz – two of my favorite things in the world. All on a beautiful sunny day, all courtesy of my bicycle, without spending hardly any money (well, I did buy a souvenir JazzFest T-shirt).

*****

It was good for the soul, breaking out of the routine for a day. It was nice to be out in the brilliant weather, on a bike, breathing the fresh air.

It was good to watch sports and music among people who were having a similarly fun time, just enjoying the vibe and weather (and the food, and spirits), away from the toxic socio-political atmosphere that is poisoning the country and the world, not having to rub elbows with the bitter dipshits who spend their every waking hour in a rage about how the world has wronged them.

The fucking crybabies.

Try this sometimes, friends. Take time to break away from the routine. Seize the moment – or just relax inside of it.

Turn the schedule off, turn your soul on.

Image: Saturday, around town.