I try to get up earlier than my husband every morning. Having said that, it’s not hard! My husband could sleep for two people! If I didn’t wake him up at around ‘nine-ish’ he’d probably spend the morning in bed! Oh to be so relaxed and able to turn off completely for hours on end! I’m jealous ……
However, getting up relatively early every morning allows me to have time to prepare for the coming day. This sounds as if I have a high-powered job and need to organise my time. I’m a Lady of Leisure (LOL) so there is another reason. I need to have a plan. I can’t just wake up and think, without stress or panic, that I have a whole day ahead with nothing to fill it! That was always my biggest fear as my working years sped by and I had to address the R’ word! (Retirement for those who aren’t as paranoid as me!)
So my morning quiet times are important. I start my day with a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal. There’s a hint of routine there but a bit of routine isn’t a bad thing? I watch two morning television news programmes. The BBC, which I find a bit tedious at times and also biased, is a good news channel. ITV is more fun and varied but the advertisements annoy me, so I flip. I do like keeping up with the news. Some people really aren’t bothered, but I need to know what is happening in this big, sometimes bad, world outside my front door!
But I watch the news with one eye and do other things with the other! I complete a daily diary. I use it as a reminder (never my iPhone!) of events and appointments and also an actual diary completed the next day, retrospectively. I have kept one since 1985. Not updated every day like I do now, but still a good record of my life over the last thirty odd years. Because time flies I use these diaries to confirm dates and times of past events as documented proof when questioned! This does happen!
There is another important reason why I have my diary with me every morning. I plan my day. Sometimes loosely but I always have a good idea of how the day will unfold. I also check the day and the date! Important when I don’t have to work because days can morph into weeks and weekdays morph into weekends far too easily! I also try to keep weekdays as my exercise and chore days and weekends I still hold dear and try to keep for fun! At weekends I allow myself wine with my evening meals (and gin and tonics as evening treats!). Sounds a bit OCD but this discipline suits me. By having a bit of a routine and a daily ‘plan’ has helped me cope with this next daunting LOL stage!
I check my emails, sometimes look at Facebook (just nosey and rarely comment, never post) then go through the News app just in case the BBC or ITV have missed anything! Then I think about my blog and start to plan the next one.
So, my quiet times serve a very useful” purpose. I enjoy the solitude and even, can you believe, enjoy spending time in my own company! I didn’t think this would ever happen! These two hours (more or less) have become almost a ritual and missed when life doesn’t go according to plan. Coping mechanisms come in all shapes and sizes. My husband carries on sleeping until he gets woken up with breakfast in bed (this is best not shared!) and the newspaper so he has his ‘me time’ as well. It’s a win win! đź‘
Jenny Burrell 