I’m thinking of clocks and calendars. In our earlier years, when we were students or parents or employees/workers or more than one of these, our lives were given structure and routine by our responsibilities and obligations. We lived by the clock and the calendar.
In retirement, some of us still live that way; my mother was one. She went to bed by 9PM, woke up at 5:30AM, took her meds and showered. She dressed and fixed herself a simple breakfast. She did this until the age of 97. I have never been as faithful, as she was, to any routine or to the clock. I do not know whether there are clear health benefits that accrue to those who live by such discipline, but if there are, they will not accrue to me.
I go to bed by 3AM – sometimes earlier, and rarely later. I want to be able to record astronomical observations when the skies are clear, and the moon is not bright. I feel no obligation to arise with the chickens, but now and then, I do. This morning I awoke about 5:40AM. I suppose that I didn’t sleep well; that happens now and then. Lying in bed, I considered whether I had specific chores for the day. I did not, and I tried to return to sleep.
I try to take my meds each day around 9-10AM, but sometimes I do not take them until noon. My appointments are few and far between – a haircut this month, a PCP, dental or ophthalmology visit every 3-6 months, and the like. I take my Subaru for preventive maintenance checks about as frequently. Susan gets more frequent health maintenance than I do. Perhaps she will last longer than I will – that would be just fine with me, by the way.
Tonight, the skies are overcast. There will be no astrophotography. I may get to bed earlier rather than later. In any case, my routine will be governed by fatigue and the restlessness of my mind rather than by the timekeepers that have ruled my activities most of my life. I really appreciate that.