There are lots of grandiose rules for living a good life out there. Never go to bed mad. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Live each day to the fullest. These are all great but frankly they mostly just make me feel badly about myself. We all have our own little idiosyncrasies – behaviours that may appear peculiar to others. I can be a little particular with some things and my friends enjoy pointing that out to me. Here is an incomplete list of the life rules I like to live by.

Make sure the house is tidy on a rainy day
Rainy days can be amazing for relaxing – like reading or watching my favourite series. But, a rainy day when my house is messy just feels depressing and unsettling. I especially like the kitchen tidy, and I always light a candle. Atmosphere matters!

I only like sandwiches with chips on the side
I think this might be a weird one but I just can’t eat a sandwich without chips. I guess I think it’s weird not to eat a sandwich with chips. We always have chips on hand for this reason. 

Similarly – I have to have my tea with something sweet
I don’t think this needs any explanation. 

I wash our bed sheets weekly – at least!
This also does not require explanation. 

Always leave the kitchen clean when going out to dinner
One of the joys of going to someone else’s house or to a restaurant for dinner is not having to make a mess of your own kitchen. I always make sure it’s clean before heading out. 

Always clean up after a party before going to bed (I am noticing a very unfun trend that a lot of my rules revolve around things being tidy…)
Eric and I have thrown some pretty fun parties and dinner parties over the years. It does not matter what time the party ends, we always clean up before going to bed. I love waking up the next morning and remembering what a fun night we had – not facing a massive cleanup. 

Don’t walk on hotel carpets without socks or shoes on
Ew, gross.

Wait, here’s a fun one. And it’s my favourite one. Live Spontaneously.
I am not exactly known for being the most fun person in the room but I do know how to enjoy life and that is partly because I like being spontaneous. From last minute company to taking in international students and stray cats, I like to keep things exciting. For example, if we had dinner going but someone asked us to go out for dinner, we would quickly pack up the meal we had been making for the next day and go out! When I was 18 I helped an elderly couple buy lawn chairs at Canadian Tire and two weeks later I was driving their motorhome back to California for them. 

What are your life rules?

I would like to challenge you to leave a comment below. Reading your comments is my favourite!

A bit more…these unwritten life rules are so good!