People Share The Things That They Look Forward To Every Day
Candice Picard/Unsplash

I'll be honest, for most of my life I have had exactly zero daily routine.

The chaos was something of a calling card—but not one that was necessarily good for me.

Spoiler alert, I had a raging case of undiagnosed neuroodivergent shenanigans—and in recent years I've been able to get a better handle on being me.

As a result, a daily routine has sort of developed.


Reddit user Money-Associate1601 asked:

"What’s something you look forward to every single day?"

A few years ago I wouldn't have had an answer to this, but as I read through I suddenly realized that I have one.

Also, that I enjoy it!

Mornings spent relaxing in the hammock before my day gets punted into shenanigans by my kids, my dogs, my job, or some unholy combo of the three have become crucial for my mental health.

Huh. Who knew?

Let's see what Reddit loves about their routines.

Going To Work (!)

"Going to work."

"It sounds strange, but I love it because I'm working with my son. He’s 23. I’m 50. We spend M-F working together building homes. We laugh all day long."

"It’s the happiest time of my life. I know it’s finite, so I’m enjoying it as much as possible while it lasts."

- thecrab87

"This hits me(23) so much. My dad (50) gave me a job at his company a year ago and always tells me how proud he his of me."

"Just before Christmas he got sick and almost died. When he got out of the hospital he told me how much he cherished our relationship and how it meant everything to him."

"It makes me emotional every time I read things like this."

- Qc-ripguru67

"My brother and I did landscaping together on the weekends. We use to complain about it, but after we sold the business I really missed spending time with him."

"What I miss the most is eating lunch together and riding home after a long day."

- ripped-p-ness

Giphy

Pajama Party

"Changing out of work clothes and into pajamas"

- send_boba

"My pajamas are my real clothes. Everything else is a facade."

- sharkittens

"The best thing about the pandemic: I work from home all the time and I can wear pajamas all the time!"

- circle_jerker_2000

"Sometimes I get home by 3pm from work and get right into my PJs."

"Even if I’m going out later, I’ll just change out of my PJs when I need to. If I’m home for an hour or longer, I’m in my PJs."

"It’s the only way."

- dat_girl83

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Pick Up Time

"Picking my daughters up from daycare."

"As soon as they see me, they drop whatever they were doing and run to me with the biggest smile on their faces and yelling 'Daddyyy!' "

"The absolute sh*ttiest day at work just disappears in that moment."

- all_the_fun_stuff

"100% this."

"Basically anything to do with my kids. Waking them up for school and hanging out in bed for those 5 minutes in the morning is always so much fun."

"Meeting my daughter off the bus from school. Seeing my son when he gets home from preschool and just wants to play."

"Kids are the best cure for a sh*t day at work."

- pdxrunner82

"My 2 year old screams 'IT’S MOM!!!' in absolute delight every day when I get home from work. Nothing else compares!"

- thetermagant

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Employee Of The Month

"My baby dog’s big morning stretch. He's actually a senior but he will stay about 5 lbs for forever, so we call him our baby dog."

"Oh! And then watching him go back to sleep in his office bed when I start work. He works so hard. Employee of the month, every month."

- maltymawma

"I love working in the morning and then at about 11 am my dog finally gets up. She does her morning back scratches on the carpet and then demands snuggles."

"It's my favorite unscheduled break time that happens daily."

- Food_is_my_Motive

"My cat Ygritte is my supervisor. She works so hard sleeping and making biscuits on blankets/beds/boxes with blankets."

"She yells at me if I stop working, yells at me when it is break time, and starts getting in between myself and my computer 15 minutes before the end of the day."

"She won't stop until I clock out, it is her everyday being like Nahhhhh you done. Pet me instead."

"She is the best boss I have ever had."

- AltruisticProgress9

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Nightly Read

"I live at a friends family house. They offered me shelter after I became homeless and every night I go to my car to read."

"I find that reading in my car every night before going to sleep gives this family a chance to get a break from seeing me and I get a chance to be calm and away from everyone."

Giphy

"They are amazing people and It’s been so fun. I’m so thankful that they let me stay in their living room, but they tend to use it at night to watch a movie or have family time so I take a chance to let them be and I get a chance to learn something and relax in my car."

- AvocadoSaltAndLime

Fueled By Coffee

"My morning coffee. I get a different coffee every week and drinking it is the most relaxing part of my day."

- hafilax

"Same."

"I had a Colombian blend last week, this week I got a black roast that is so strong I swear its making me grow a beard."

"I'm up at 5 every morning for 'me time', which you dont get with 3 small kids and making my coffee and staring into space for an hour is amazing."

- 2_kids_no_more·

"Coffee is mine as well."

"I love to get a big-ass black coffee with a little cream, put on a good podcast and chill out for a bit while I wake up. Quite possibly the only thing I consistently look forward to every single day."

- instinctbluess

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"YES! I set up the coffee pot the night before, every night."

"In the morning my husband gets up to start it and crawls back into bed while it brews. When it's ready he puts his robe on and quietly brings me a cup, sets it on my nightstand and goes into the living room to peacefully wake up on his own, staring at his phone."

"In between alarm snoozes I briefly wake up and take a few sips of coffee. After several snoozes, I need a refill and that's usually when I get up to join him. It's such a great way to wake up, I love it so much."

"Some mornings he has to just get up and go off to a job site but no matter how early it is, he brings me a cup of coffee in bed before giving me a kiss and going. He's the best."

- theredheaddiva

Mid-Day Text

"That mid-day text from my husband, asking me if I can please come home early because he and the dogs miss me, usually accompanied by a photo of the 4 of them looking wistfully at the camera."

"It never, ever gets old. So thankful for all of them!"

- luisapet

"Ugh. Mine always wants to know when I’ll be back because he wants something."

- Funny-Tree-4083

"Oh my god I want this. You are so lucky."

- __Vixen__

"I also want this in my life."

"All I get is calls/messages from scammers or customer service."

- amrit-9037

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Observing This Scene

"The sheer, spontaneous joy my dogs have when my wife gets home."

"I tell them 'Who's home?' Then they hear the garage door opening and know Mommy's Home!"

"Batsh*t-crazy pandemonium ensues until I open the side door of garage. Even cuter, my wife is just as happy to see them, too!"

"Nothing beats observing this scene every day, for 11 years."

- Complex-Value-5807

"Absolutely this."

"I adopted a little baby potato two years ago. Now he’s a big old spaz and he has an absolute fit with joy whenever daddy gets home from work."

"He’s so excited he can’t even sit still for pets and kisses. Jumping up and down on the furniture, running around in circles, pure happiness."

- FunnyQueer

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At Peace

"I have 30 mins in my day in between work where I just sit on a bench in this park."

"No phone, no earphones, nothing but just me enjoying the sound of birds and whooshing of the trees. Feel most at peace during that time."

- DJTISTA

"I have recently started doing this towards the end of the day."

"It has started filling me up with peace and enthusiasm. I highly recommend this. Half an hour, daily, setting sun/rising sun, somewhere not too noisy, near water if possible."

- pappugulal

"Time like this is essential! Good for you for giving it to yourself!"

- Zebsnotdeadbaby

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Lunch

"The last 15 years of my working life was running a route, checking into about 235 businesses each month. It kept me very busy, I seldom had time for lunch over 1/2 hour."

"I always thought how nice it would be when I retire, to have time to set down and actually enjoy lunch."

"Fast forward 5 years, I've been retired and now I get one full hour of lunch and reading whatever book has my attention for those 5 days a week instead."

"It's heaven."

- zerogravity111111

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Listening in...

"My morning walk so I can listen to my podcasts."

- 5thSummersBrother_I

"Might steal your idea! I need to start walking more since I'm working an office job now but I find walking boring lol. I always listen to podcasts while I clean."

- chessysloth410

"I work in the office as well and dedicate my breaks to walking. I’m doing nothing else so I might as well get some movement in. I typically just eat lunch at my desk then. I actually lost a good amount of weight by just doing this."

- MYSTICALLMERMAID

Stay Home

"Getting home from work. I really enjoy that whole 'Not-at-work' time."

- ELPwork

"My job gives us 3 day weekends so today was my 'Friday' and i was so excited to leave today."

"I hadn't realized this coming week is Martin Luther King Jr Day until the end of work when my boss reminded us not to come in on Monday... "

"I don't think i've felt that happy in months lmao. Not working is great but surprise paid non-work is the absolute best."

- grandpa_grandpa

Learning Interests

"School. I always hated high school and now that I’m going to a school that caters to my interest, (auto tech) I can be happy going and seeing other people who have the same passion."

- yal_tryna_uhhhh

"Felt the same in college while getting a graduation in game development. It was so exciting to be able to talk to more people and work together on things we all loved!"

- OldAccWasFullOfPorn

Nutrtion

"Eating."

- intrango

"I'm currently on a diet. I discovered that food plays a huge part in my mood. Turns out I'm a lot more irritable when I eat healthy."

- White_Gables

"I genuinely love food, cooking is my hobby and dinner is the best time of the day!"

- Maximellow

"Super unpopular opinion, and I'm a foodie. But as a new mom, I wish we didn't always have to eat. Eating has become a chore to me and I rather sleep lol. But I do have some help and I am getting proper nutrition."

- SunKissedHibiscus

Episode 9 Diet GIF by FriendsGiphy

my environment...

"Honestly, every part of my home. As the daughter of an alcoholic hoarder, grew up in a very dysfunctional and at times abusive household. It was always dirty, loud, stressful and unstructured."

"Now that I'm an adult with the power to control my environment and lifestyle, I keep a clean, peaceful home."

"My bed is made, my carpet is vacuumed. I get to hang out with my cats and a good book and not have to worry about the electricity being shut off or my mom not coming home from the bar or any number of financial concerns that managed to steal my childhood away."

"I have what I dreamed of having as a little girl: autonomy and calm."

- ladystarkitten

Open Road

"The drive home after finishing work."

"I live over an hour away from the office and I like the long ride home because it gives me time to decompress. I’m also driving westbound so I’ve been able to witness many beautiful sunsets."

- tiraralabasura_2055

"Personally hate driving west in the early evenings because the sun is blinding as hell."

- selflesslyselfish

Driving The Muppets GIFGiphy

Purrr....

"Bedtime routine with my 10 year old cat, she’s my best friend, we’ve had the same routine for years. I call her when I'm ready for bed, she comes running n jumps on the bed and flops against my chest and purrs all night."

"I never want to live a day without her, it’s a nightmare to think about. I make sure to tell her I love her and say goodnight."

- thebillboardssaid

Escaoe

"My audiobook in the car on the way to work. I used to love reading but now I have kids and can’t let myself stay up all night reading. This is my escape time."

- she3099

Feel Good Audiobook GIF by AudibleGiphy

So what have we learned today, dear readers?

The thing most of these Redditors looked forward to was a moment of peace or affection.

Whether it was from a pet, a kid, a book, or a hot cup of coffee it seems people wanted a literal or proverbial hug.

Does that track for you? What's the part of your day you look forward to most.