My Life is Like a Matinee

These days, getting ready for almost any activity involves some time-consuming preparation at night, and in the morning.  That leaves me with only the afternoon and a little of the early evening to get into any mischief, or to do any necessary but boring chores.  

I'm in my eighth decade now and am still learning to cope with my new status. It's not easy because there are hardly any precedents in my family. No role models, unless I count my former husband but he's English and from the carry-on-come-what may generation. I can't count him and besides that, I relate more to the carry-on while complaining generation.  

Preparing for sleep includes several more steps that it did when I was a sprightly young thing.  I need to set up the coffee maker and make sure there is both water and ground coffee in the appliance. Hot water in the morning just doesn't have the same nearly gonzo effect as coffee. And if I forget to add the water the smell of hot metal on glass isn't delightful. 

All the things I might need in the night have to sit on top of the dresser by my bed. Did I mention drugs? Well, aspirin and acetaminophen have a home there. My cell phone goes up there too just in case, along with water in a sippy cup I try not to knock over. Most importantly, whatever book or magazine I'm reading must be handy and my heating pad needs to warm up the spot where my always-cold feet go. Yes, even if it is ninety degrees Fahrenheit, my nest must be warm. I read until my eyes begin to close. At that point I get up and visit the bathroom once more; then I return to bed and turn the bedside light out.

Naturally, I begin to worry about the state of the world and whether I turned the computer off and what I need to do the next day. After all what is the dark for, except thinking of what one puts off thinking about during the day. Never mind though,  the morning will arrive soon enough. Sometimes it arrives at three a.m. 

Normally, I wake between six and seven a.m.,  partly because I have to pee and partly because various parts of my body have decided to complain. I  sit on the side of the bed and slowly retrieve my slippers and put them on. Yes,  even if it is ninety degrees Fahrenheit, I need them.. The kitchen floor is non-slip but can be cold. I take no chances. I turn on the coffee machine and proceed to the living room to open the curtains and turn on the computer. 

 I fetch my mug of coffee and begin my day by checking my email. Then I check the news sites, my local TV station news, the CBC news and then the Guardian news. after that, I look on Facebook to see if any of my friends have posted there.  I now know that the world continues to be in an unholy mess. It's therefore time for me to do The Guardian crossword and the Globe and Mail crossword. That reassures me that some parts of me, and the world still function. I do some more internet browsing.

Suddenly, it's 10:30 a.m. and I'm still in my pyjamas. If I'm going to get anything done, I need to shower and dress. Showering means having my walker on hand and being extremely careful entering and exiting the tub. Unfortunately my bones are older than the rest of me. They aged without my permission, and I am not best pleased.  My skin didn't ask my permission to get as dry as the Sahara dessert either. So, my next task involves slathering it with a vitamin E cream. I have no idea if it is helping but it does increase the amount of laundry I have. Once I'm dressed I check my email accounts again and respond to any that need answers, then it's time for lunch.

After that, it's prime time for me - between one p.m. and four p.m. I might be at my peak performance time. I could work on my current project, or I could do some cleaning, or I could contact friends, or I could continue reading.  But, oh the couch looks alluring and it may be time for a nap before supper. Not every day needs a matinee performance.

Til the next adventure.