Predictable - is it boring?

I posted on Facebook today, "Anyone want to guess what I'm planning to do today?"  The first person to post, nailed it.  I thought to myself, "Oh my God, am I really that predictable?"

I've always thought of predictable as being akin to boring.  (And, of course, all the negative connotations that go along with that.)  New, exciting, different, energetic.  Those are what people want to be, aren't they?  And why not?  It gets your heart racing, expands your horizons, gets you mingling with new people... all the things that make parties, racing, bar-hopping, etc. fun.

But predictability?  Ugh.  That's like being reliable, dependable, loyal.  You might as well be a Labrador Retriever.  Not that they're bad qualities, just - well, boring.  But here is the paradox: I don't consider myself boring.  I love to read (an admittedly solo activity most times), run, eat out, watch movies, play cards, dance, go to the theatre, galleries, museums... just learning anything I can.  I don't think any of those things are boring.  For those BASE jumping, thrill-seeking types it would be boring, but for the most part, even BASE jumping is something you do alone.  (Not too many tandem jumps off skyscrapers, I think.)

People who are always chasing the exciting, the loud, or the different are often looking for that in themselves.  Will they be there for your birthday dinner?  Possibly.  Possibly not.  Can you call them at 3:00am and know that they will be at home?  That one's up in the air as well.  Depends on when the concert lets out and whether or not they smoked their cab fare.  These people are fun to listen to: "Are you kidding?!  You drove your truck right into the pond?"  The stories are unexpected and often hilarious.

I've been there.  I've been the person who is drunk and barely able to stand, let alone climb the rocks out at Iron Bridge when the car can't go any further.  Those times were fun.  They were different and dangerous and exciting.  I never knew where I was going to end up; where I would be sleeping or how I was going to get home afterward.  I've discovered that I enjoyed those times, but I don't actually miss them.

Being able to say to a friend that I'll be over for dinner for sure.  Knowing that I can maintain a friendship through years, distance, arguments, etc. is a good thing.  It's reliable, loyal, and I have to say a damn sight harder than just the surface friendships that are often new, and exciting, and fickle.  So while you listen to your friend tell you about their wild escapades from the weekend, remember the laidback but riotous night of cards with your closest friends.  The laughter that stretches for years and runs deeper than the last road trip or case of beer.

So when my phone rings at 3:00am, I will be ready.  Dependable, reliable, loyal.  I have become the Labrador Retriever.  But that's okay.  Labs are happy dogs, and really: who doesn't love a Lab?