A DAY IN THE LIFE
Prompt - A Day in the Life : Write about your daily habits and routine
Which daily routine? Not that there are many significant variations nowadays, for great unpredictability is an element largely missing from my life, but do I write about the daily life of pandemic lockdown, the one which is so well established after a year of giglessness? Or the routine of the life that existed before covid altered everything? Or the daily routine I hope will be with us when the current restrictions come to an end and we see what the post-pandemic world starts to look like? Or should I just be honest and admit that there probably wasn't isn't, isn't going to be, much difference between those three states!
Certainly our life now is very different to what it was all those years ago when we were still working, and living down south. The experience of the past three days, when I've had to set an alarm to get myself up and into town in time for my jury service, have made me question where the self went to who used to be in the gym for seven and work by nine thirty? That guy no longer exists and there was a real sense of relief this morning at being able to wake naturally again. To get back to our own version of normal.
My daily routine is one that is largely without any pressures. I, we, have become so lazy, and so used to the easy routine, that it's hard to imagine going back to the days of having early appointments for my voluntary work, and going to so many gigs and plays and matches. So adapting from this current routine may come hard.
As previously mentioned, there's no set waking time. It is what it is, and if I feel like turning over and dozing I'll doze. Or lie in bed with phone screen or book until the mood to get up takes me. I like to be out of bed (for the first time...) around eight, but there are days when it's more like ten. First habit, after going to the loo, is to go down the stairs, feed Zoe, make the drinks. Until today that's been a mug each of lemon, honey and ginger (using fresh lemon and ginger) in hot water. Our kickstarters. To that add a long glass of an energy fruit drink, made up from sachets of powder, for Barbara to drink once I get up for the second time. Previously that was something I'd get her after my second trip downstairs, but having it with her hot drink, as she has for the past three days, will enable her to get up that wee bit earlier, make more of her day.
Then I'll sit up and drink my drink. And read. This year that begins with one of James Robertson's 365 stories (it's always hard to resist the temptation to make a start on the following day, but I'm sticking with the one-a-day routine, so it will take from first January until the final day of the year to read them all). It then switches to either my phone, or tablet, or current book. I like to read a bit of fiction if possible, but sometimes get too distracted by tweets and posts and news items, either political or sporting. The latter usually about Scotland or Edinburgh rugby teams, or my most recent sports fandom, the New York Islanders hockey team (who are on a good run at the moment...).
Eventually it will feel like getting up time. Ideally that will be well before nine thirty. But it might be one of those days when I struggle to make it out the pit by eleven! I lie down, invite Barbara to do the same, and we have a cuddle to start the day off. We all need affection.
Down the stairs again, with used mugs and my tablet. I'll empty the dishwasher (although this morning I did that before the hot drinks came up, and that's a routine I'd like to establish), then chop up the fresh fruit for breakfast. Typically there were will be at least six different types of fruit tp prepare (such as apple, satsuma, kiwi, banana, grapes and berries). I'll also prepare the other part of my breakfast, as most days I have a form of muesli that's best eaten after it's had a chance to soak all the milk up. Or there might be porridge to put in the pot, if I haven't done it the night before.
Back upstairs. See if Barbara wants me to give her dodgy knees a bit of massage and stretching to help ease her passage into the day, then into my study. Some days I'll switch the PC on and get it warmed up for later, and maybe use it to play some music. Or I'll put an LP on the deck. But then I do soe form of exercise. On a bad day that might just be a few stretches, with particular attention to getting on my back and doing a few things for my own uncooperative knees (ah, the joys of ageing...). Most days I try to at least do a few press ups and stomach crunches. But the best days are when I get the weights out and manage a more tiring routine. That hasn't happened for a few weeks, due to back and shoulder problems, but I hope to be back into it soon, needing to get myself in some sort of state to return to the gym when it reopens. When it does the intention is to get back into the old routine of doing stretches here, then going to the gym for about thirty minutes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Out of the study, into the shower room. Weigh myself out of curiosity, have my shower, apply toiletries, go into the bedroom to get dressed. That bit of the routine includes applying cream to the hard skin on my feet, since visits to the chiropodist have become a thing of the past. For now. Down to eat breakfast, usually on my own. Back up to brush the teeth. And that's me, ready for the world. It's probably afternoon already!
What happens next? The bit does vary. But there will be two fixed elements to the day. At some point I will go out, whether we need any shopping or not, and walk, simply walk to get my step count up. Even in wet weather I'll do this. There's a fair chance that a supermarket, or the fish shop, will feature at some point. And I will sit at my desk for at least an hour, do some writing, of some sort, while catching up on a few websites I usually check out.
Whatever order that occurs in, I'll normally make the dinner around six. Depending on how early or late I got up there might have been some snack lunch at some point - sometimes it only happens around four! We eat at the dining table, an attempt to remain vaguely civilised.
The evening will be spent on the sofa, TV to watch. Occasionally it might mean me upstairs, while we watch different programmes, but at some point we're always together for a bit. Then there's the late night routine, as tightly scripted as the morning habits. Close the vestibule door, switch off the hall lamp, do the the cat's litter tray, open the dishwasher, pour two glasses of clod water and take them up to the bedside cabinets. Then into my study for the final writing of the day, my diary that records the happenings and thoughts for the day. So there isn't mush to write nowadays!
And finally. back to bed. back to book. Read until my eyes can't stay open.
Sleep.
Repeat.
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