Annmarie Throckmorton, M.A.
- Oct 1, 2019

Morning Routine

As a baseline for comparison over my next and final years, this is my morning routine as of 2019.

I wake up late each morning after a night of restless pain. Sometimes I wobble out of bed within fifteen minutes, more likely I roll over and get a second start at waking up in a few more hours. I am perennially disappointed to have lost my lifelong, morning lark habit of rising before the sun.

I stretch my feet and legs while resting on my back so that they do not hurt so much when I stand up. I stand up and complete my morning ablutions. I spend a few moments tidying up the bathroom. I try not to hurt my pet spider who lives by Margaret cat's food bowl because the spider keeps the bugs away.

Margaret cat is nearby as I get up. She has probably subtly awakened me, but I pet her "Good Morning!" with good nature. She looks old, and has lost weight. I brush her in the evenings but now sometimes in the mornings also. I refresh her water bowls. Her veterinarian recommended that I keep water bowls at different locations around the house to encourage her to rehydrate. She enjoys her new kitchen water dish into which I frequently drop ice cubes, her new water bowl in the guest bathroom has some enticing mint flakes floating in it, and her usual large, clean water bowl in my bathroom has always been full. But she prefers the grungy trickle of water draining from the basement dehumidifier, no matter how many times I have told her how awful it is.

Margaret cat seems to know what is next in my routine because she has a habit of staring at what I plan to do next. This morning Margaret Cat steadily gazed at my white noise machine until I turned it off. I make up my bed and tidy my bedroom, with a place for everything and everything in its place. Margaret cat encourages me to top up her food bowl.

Sometimes I frually dress in the still newish, comfortable house clothes that I bought my late mother when I started taking care of her, which are comfortable stretch pants and pretty matching tee shirts. I have a lot of clothing in my own style and colors hanging in a spare closet in reserve. I think that soon I will switch back to my own wardrobe and give the rest to charity.

I start my cafe latte in the kitchen, making it the way my great-grandmother did, by steaming milk to a froth in a pan on the stove. No matter how I time it, the milk sometimes overflows the pan, which no longer distresses me because an immaculate stove is a lost cause in my old age. Instead of espresso coffee, I use Kava instant coffee, because it is less acidic and easier on my old and tender stomach. I sweeten my latte with two teaspoons of pure cane sugar. Yummy! I will have a nice brunch in a few hours.

I turn off the outside security lights, and remove the sticks that I wedged underneath the doorknobs of the front and back doors to jam them shut last night. This is not foolproof, but it would act as an early warning system, giving me time to deploy my more serious intruder response capabilities.

I startup my phone, my Kindle, my Laptop PC, and the essential oils diffuser in my study. My Christmas present to myself last year was a set of thirty-two different fragrances, which I am enjoying very much. I am particularly pleased with my computer system because I set it up and I maintain it myself. I top up the charge on my electronic devices each morning and evening.

I keep busy to stave off loneliness. I remember so many of my friends who have preceded me in death, sad that now I cannot even telephone them for a chat. After my last, great move to live by the ocean, I will be very happy to make new friends and acquaintances.

Then sometimes I go back to bed to rest and ease my back for a little while. I review my mental menu for this new day and what I want to accomplish in it. I am usually up again soon to do what is to be done.

Unless I have an appointment out somewhere in the world, I reward myself for another day of life by writing and illustrating my next blog post(s). I attend to my voice mail, emails, my paper mail, and any billing issues. I might buy something nice for myself online, I make an effort to remember to do this. I watch news channels on Youtube.com. I am subscribed to about a hundred Youtube.com channels; and just yesterday I discovered that I have my own Youtube.com channel. I must have tapped a stray link! When I am living by the ocean, I might upload video clips of conversations with people I meet by the oceanside. Just a thought.

This is how each of my days as a septuagenarian begins, moving along with old habits and new plans.

Sunday is my day of rest, and I do rest, play, pray, and in general celebrate living the day.