Unless I am meeting-up early with family, I am not waking-up with an alarm, but will likely be woken-up by the daylight invading my bedroom. First there is a creeping of the light, but quickly building to a crescendo, reminding me that although it is a slower-paced day than all the others, there are still things to be done. I am happy with that arrangement, so stumble out of bed in agreement.
Beyond coffee and breakfast, the first thing I am interested in doing is skimming through current affairs. Sunday is the only day I allow myself to watch TV before 6pm, so I start with the Politics programmes on TV followed by the Sunday Times (I have a student subscription) and The Guardian (with adverts). Many writers will pretend to be neutral, but I cannot, so I am most interested in how the Labour Party (Centre Left) is doing, particularly as they are likely to form the next UK government in just under 2 weeks’ time, after being in opposition for the last 14 years.
Whilst I am doing all that, I am also dealing with morning medication, inhalers and health checks. I have quite a few chronic conditions, so it takes a while to get through it all.
Finally, I hit the bathroom, doing all that is necessary to face the day. After I am dressed, I will review my plans for the day. I use ‘Todoist’ to organise my life these days, which works well for me, better than all the other alternatives that I’ve tried so far, but which work well for others. Horses for courses, I suppose, just like the politics. I am of the view that we need to respect other people’s choices, even if we don’t personally agree with them, or where some other choice just seems to work better.
Walking is usually the first activity for me at this point, assuming that I am well enough to do it. It is placed first after getting dressed as I don’t want to do it, as it will be difficult, and involves a rollator, but it is my only form of exercise, so time for me to grit my teeth and get on with it.
I am back home within the hour, and the rest of the day will not involve much in the way of physical activity, unless catching-up on domestic chores not completed on Saturday. I would like to say that Sunday is still a day of rest, as it always was in my childhood home, but leaving religion behind, the best I can say is ‘slow-paced’ rather than anything else.
I still want to be reading and writing, and I still want to do the work for learning and studying, although these things might be put aside if experiencing severe illness, and in such circumstances, replaced by a Sunday afternoon film (another childhood tradition).
I hadn’t been reading as much as I would have liked prior to starting my university course, but now consider it a vital part of my writing existence, so also use ‘Audible’ and ‘Speechify’ to enhance that experience, and I initially listen to ‘Medium’ stories before reading them, if motivated to do so from the listening experience.
One of the other things I do on a Sunday is to answer emails from friends. I am 65 years old, and come from a generation without phones or computers for a long time, and where letter-writing was the main form of communication. Thus, catching-up on emails on a Sunday is, in some ways, continuing a long tradition of communicating with friends and extended family. I used to love waiting for replies to letters through the post, and that is replicated to some degree with an email inbox.
I recognise that my days are fading, whilst new generations and those coming in the future will bring new experiences and ways of living for the human race. I have mostly embraced all the changes, and I consider myself privileged to have lived during the digital revolution, as the changes have been enormously beneficial for us. I’m not so sure if the same will be said by future historians of the AI revolution, but I won’t be here to see that, but I am experiencing some of the positives currently, although won’t go near it for writing.
Towards the end of my Sunday, I am reviewing my week, through journalling and reflective practice, and I am taking time to plan the week ahead, ensuring that all of it is reflected in ‘Todoist’, so that I can then simply follow my own instructions, apart from my remaining 2 days of employment, when I will be following the instructions of others.
In just 6 weeks’ time, I will be fully retired, and have those other two days to play with. Perhaps then, I really will return to Sunday being fully a day of rest, but I suspect I will just fill the vacuum created with more activity, as I intend being busy all the way through my retirement. It remains to be seen whether those intentions become reality, or whether the chronic conditions or general slowing-down consumes me. Either way, the child in me demands that I continue to operate at a slower pace on a Sunday, and I am happy to comply.
Fraser
June 2024