New Order
Yesterday was a good day. All the Christmas decorations are down. Most of them are stored in the attic. I worked until I lost the light. And you lose the light early these days. One moment it’s there. The next moment it’s gone. I’ll finish up this afternoon. Take boxes into the attic. Restore the house. First, however, I’m going to get my hair cut. A monthly ritual. I like to do it in the morning. Makes for a nice start to the day.
I’ve also switched my morning alarm from 5:30 to 6. Thirty minutes might not seem like a lot, but it is when you tend to wake unexpectedly around three a.m. The new time just seems further away. Of course, it pushes everything back. When I rose at 5:30, I would oftentimes have my essay published by 6:30. I suspect those days are gone. It’s 6:30 now, as I type, and the cats have yet to be fed. I think they’ll have to wait. No one is going to starve. They’ll adjust to the new order.
As will I. The new order. Me. In my house. Getting things done. Maintaining order. Picking up where I left off. Although, it’s hard to tell where I left off really. My wife was sick for a long time. She just stopped doing things. And sometimes she did odd things. And gradually, our life sank into a tightly choreographed routine. Breakfast. Mail at ten. A trip to the store. Lunch at noon. A nap. Dinner at five. TV. Bed. Do it again. These days I go to the post office when I remember. And I sleep late and sometimes skip lunch. And now I’m getting up at six. Gently pushing the edge of the new envelope.
John W. Wilson is the author of The Long Goodbye: A Caregiver's Tale