What’s your favorite time of day?

The narrative explores the concept of time through the daily routine of a reflective septuagenarian. Describing moments from his early morning slumber to evening habits, the individual finds solace in nature and gratitude for life. He wakes at dawn, enjoys simple pleasures like reading and tea, and maintains a meticulous, clutter-free study space. Despite his age, he practices self-care and appreciates the beauty of the world during his walks. His evenings involve contemplation and entertainment, ending with soothing music before bed. Ultimately, he views time as a divine gift, emphasising mindfulness and appreciation for each moment.

Time is eternal

It isn’t easy to pinpoint the time as a favourite. Time is eternal. Aligned with Earth’s spin on its axis, twenty-four-hour time is evolved by human beings for convenience. Time is a collection of moments which give colour to life. For a believer, time is a gift of the Almighty. The world of the Almighty can’t be bad. It is humans’ subjective satisfaction that tags a piece of time as good or bad.

The slumber

He was in deep slumber and probably was wandering solo on the bank of a river. Dreams often take us to strange and unknown places. These places appear familiar to us in our dreams. The stage has technically been termed as NREM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement). He was in the 04th stage when an individual is in the transitional stage of being in sleep and non-sleep.

Early Morning

He woke up. There was a total lull except for a few chirps and the dark around. He looked at his wristwatch lying beside him on the side table. It was 4:00 AM. Despite his late-night sleep, he usually wakes up early in the morning. He doesn’t believe in unnecessary planning, so whatever he does is not according to plan. For him, every moment is important in life. Sitting on the bed for quite some time, he got up and gulped a few sips of water. For a moment, he thought of continuing with the book he was reading. He picked up his Kindle Reader, opened it and started reading. Kindle readers are the best reading choice for him as they allow reading in low-light or no-light conditions with ease. Kindle Paperwhite reader is easily available on the online platform https://amzn.to/4lXCwsw

As he read, his mind started flooding with a flurry of distracting, fleeting thoughts. Incapable of focusing, he closed the book-reader and sat quietly.

(1) Daybreak

After brooding for a few minutes, he chose to go up on the roof. The weather was cosy. Monsoon was at its zenith. Coming up, he found that the roof was moist. It indicated an atomised drizzle, which probably happened when he was cogitating. The creepers looked pretty in the diffused morning light. Laced with water droplets, the leaves looked eye-catching, like a bride prepared to meet her beloved. The small moments of joy collectively make a person’s life healthy and happy.

(2) Clearing sky

He started walking around the roof, looking appreciatively up at the sky every now and then. Clouds were dispersing and drifting slowly in patches. The sky had also started becoming lighter in colour. The clouds on the eastern side wore a pinkish hue. It was a beautiful sight.

(3) Waking world

Occasionally, he would go for a morning walk, but that day he skipped it without assigning any reason. The world was waking. The chirping of birds and their movement had increased, and the living world had begun to thrive. A group of wasps was hovering on various damp objects. “What are they getting there!?” He amusingly murmured. These small moments fill life with enthusiasm and joy.

(4) Thanksgiving

Engrossed in the thoughts of Nature and its organised activities, he looked at the sky and copiously thanked the Almighty. “Hearty thanks, respected Almighty,” he whispered softly with hands folded. “You granted one more day to see and appreciate your fantabulous creations.” After a brief silence, he soliloquised, “Stunningly beautiful and soul-soothing!” His eyes were brimming while paying regard to the Almighty.

After spending some immersive time with the natural world, he came down. Stepping down from the stairs, he saw a lapwing flying and making its usual shrill call “tree-ti-hutt…”. He smiled and got down from the stairs.

(5) Buoyant feeling

He thoroughly enjoyed the pleasant morning while up on the roof and walking. Feeling buoyant, his mind was full of positive thoughts. Despite some odd conditions, he felt much relieved and fresh. The morning time gives him respite from the haphazard and harsh situations.

Enjoyable tea

His spouse was preparing tea; the aroma was tempting. He enjoyed the scent of boiling tea leaves. Sitting on the chair at the edge of a circular table, he glanced at the glass table-top. It was not spotless but looked good. Spouse poured tea into his glass tumbler. Silently sipping tea and occasionally gnawing on digestive biscuits from the plate, he quietly enjoyed the tea. Habitual of dipping biscuits in tea, typical of so-called rustic people, he kept gnawing on them that day.

(1) Meticulous

Finishing the tea silently, he rinsed his tumbler and put it back on the table. In his daily life, he is meticulous and likes tidiness. Finishing his drill, he went upstairs again and started scanning his mobile phone for news and other interesting reads.

thoughts and writing

After a while, he started typing on his mobile phone. He likes expressing his feelings about things that agitate his mind. Topics related to Nature, social concern or current affairs are his preferred choice to write about. They kindle his thought process. He doesn’t wait for the computer to open, but instantly starts pouring his mind on smart-phone. Initially, he used to scribble things and happenings in his diaries. Most of them have been damaged, but one or two are still with him. They are about stray thoughts and memoirs of his travel or life journey. True to his nature, he likes sober-looking diaries available on the online marketing portal https://amzn.to/47eD0GO. The portal is of great help which are hasselfree and convenient.

(1) The study room

Solitary in nature, he like to be alone, spending time with himself. The study room is his favourite place. Upstairs, the room is small, simple and tidy. Unlike a “fashionable” study room, it is not crammed with a haphazard stack of books, notebooks and writing instruments. He doesn’t like clutter and untidiness. Hence, he keeps his small moulded plastic almira properly organised. It holds books and a few crystal glass cubes and artefacts. Pure glass blocks cut in different sizes and shapes attract him. The glitter they emit makes him happy.

(2) Study time

He usually spends about four hours in the study, reading, writing and refreshing his knowledge bank. It is the place where he concentrates, contemplates and find mental isolation and concentration. Computer is a great help to him. It answers every query that arises in his brain and clears doubts instantaneously.

Second phase of the day

The second phase of the day begins with a routine of self-cleaning and grooming. For a septuagenarian, grooming is not necessary, but he makes an effort to stay fit, healthy, and well-groomed. He believes that all his body parts should stay functional until the end of his life. This was the only thing he desired from the Almighty.

Peaceful life

A superannuated person, he leads a parsimonious life, eats frugal and simple food. With limited necessities, he lives a decent and peaceful life. Unlike his peers, he dislikes the gaudy show of wealth and talking grandiloquently about oneself. He likes nostalgia but doesn’t let it overpower him. After his innings as a working person ended, the phase became the past. The job was a means of providing for his livelihood. He did not cling to the mundane and hollow sense of being powerful. (Medium)

Routine

The day starts early and ends with a good night’s sleep. People are in a race. They vie, race and work hard. It becomes a routine. Life keeps running, but it gives moments which invigorate an individual. After the hectic life routines, comes a grinding halt after superannuation, when life slows down, and routine becomes casual.

(1) First half

After morning tea, he takes his breakfast at 01:00 PM or a little later. It usually consists of fried eggs and a flat bread. In the meantime, he doesn’t eat. An afternoon siesta is almost necessary for him. He enjoys an hour-long nap. Sometimes it becomes prolonged when, on the intervening night, he did not sleep for any reason.

(2) Evening tea

The evening tea-time is between five and six. He savours tea with a few grains of salted peanuts or some “Namkeen”. After having evening tea, he takes a few strolls, soliloquises, appreciate the nature and its pantomime. He loves watching the rising and setting suns. During sunset, the sky is dramatically colourful with patches of stray clouds. The nephographs attract him and, like a perioedolia, he tries to search for some meaningful shapes in them. Fully engrossed, the passage of time appears insignificant.

(3) Crepuscule

Silky soft darkness starts cloaking the surroundings after crepuscule. Mingled with the crimson sky colour, the diffused darkness takes the evening to a different level. Streetlights start illuminating roads, and houses glow under the bright light of LED bulbs.

(4) Last leg of routine

His last leg of the daily routine starts now. He reads, writes, cogitates and watches films, documentaries, travelogues, and news items on the computer. He takes dinner after midnight, which is usually at 00:15 AM or later. It is the culmination of his routine. Before finally retreating into the lap of slumber, he prefers to watch some light films. Alternatively, he listens to soothing music with headphones on his ears. He usually goes to bed at 01:30 AM or 02:00 AM.

At the end

This is how he spends his time when at home. He never finds any time unworthy or unfavourable. As has been said at the outset, time is a gift of the Almighty. It is always precious and good. It is the human thought process to tag it good, bad or neutral. It’s all about the human mind. The endeavour should be to enjoy every moment of life and live to the fullest. It is a bounty from the Supreme Soul and accepted with a sense of gratitude.

Further reads:

• The Magic of Evenings: Embracing Nature and Calm
• Study Room: A Space for Cogitation and Writing
• The Importance of Embracing Routines
• Understanding Daily Routines: Bedtime and Morning Habits
• The Art of Expressing Gratitude in Life

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