The concept of time has always eluded me. Each of us has 24 hours a day, with 60 minutes in each hour, but now that I have retired, I’m even more perplexed. I wake up around 8 and go to bed around 10, meaning I have about 840 minutes of awake time. So where is that time going? What in the world am I doing and why does it feel that I am far busier now than ever? Has AARP adjusted my inner clock?
I was determined to sketch out my typical day, a budget of minutes, if you will. From 8-12 in the morning, I do accomplish quite a bit: I throw myself out of bed at 8:00, throw some clothes on (and the way I dress these days takes no thought or time at all, so five minutes on a slow day), throw a breakfast together and eat it (15 minutes max to microwave bacon and scramble an egg), do my various puzzles (15 minutes if I cheat, 20 if I don’t), read both newspapers, although I am not sure why I still get two, (sometimes this takes up all of 5 minutes, other days it stretches out to a lengthy 7). After all this, it’s noon. But, wait, that only added up to like 47 minutes. If I have added correctly, I should have more than three hours left in that time period. And yet, I couldn’t tell you where a single minute went, even on a bet.
What could be taking up my time?
· Ignoring a baker’s dozen robo calls
· Taking my handful of medications
· Sorting my throwaways into four categories: trash/recycling/ compost/what no other recyclers want
· Counting my toilet paper rolls and making a grocery list of things I might need with the next round of house arrest
· Keeping watch on unsuspecting neighbors so I can ask them questions when and if we can re-socialize
· Thinking about things like how time marches on?
Even with all this, I can’t help but wonder how in God’s green apple did I fit 8-10 hours of work, raising kids, and community obligations into every single day for my 40 years of work?
Tell me. How are you spending your hours?
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