Only Five Teaspoons Of Energy Per Day

Annmarie Throckmorton, M.A.
2 days ago
2 min read

When you are old and disabled you wake up each morning knowing that you have five teaspoons of energy* to go through the day. You ignore the pains and get up, then wash and dress which takes the first teaspoon of energy from your day. Sooner or later something inevitably happens outside of your usual routine that takes the second teaspoon of your energy, an emergency siren startles you, neighbors shout, a phone call or unexpected mail arrives that demands your response and your second teaspoon is gobbled up. You use your third teaspoon of energy to manage your diet, buy food, stock your pantry, cook, eat meals, and clean-up. (Is this really only a single teaspoon of energy to accomplish so much work?) So then you are down to two teaspoons of energy with which to manage all of the dimensions of your life as an old person (and the pains have not gone away). You must attend to: doctor appointments, medical procedures, hair styling and wardrobe, laundry, accounts online and in-store, cleaning, and much, much more. My To-Do list is insurmountable. My tasks inevitably outpace me. I am slow-walking through each day, leaning on my cane, catching my breath, trying to keep my face in the sun for the vitamin D and the joy of it. I also love a rainy day and wish I had more time to experience rain. But usually I give up midafternoon and I splurge my last teaspoon of energy watching YouTube and playing bright, tinkling games on my tablet.

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* Energy is "... the capacity for doing work, power, or force." Source: Merriam Webster

What Happens To Your ENERGY As You Get Older?" — Feynman's Unsettling Answer

Source: Physics with Feynman, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I4VMtDczQE

Only Five Teaspoons Of Energy Per Day