For some time, I’ve been trying to find a daily routine that works for me. I always begin my day, before leaving the bedroom, with thanking God for the gift of a new day and then opening my Bible to read. I’ve been following a three-year reading plan, which I’m enjoying immensely. There are many times I want to keep reading, but I’m sticking to the plan, and I have time to really absorb what I’ve read and think about how this can be applied to my life. For the change in my routine, I’ve been doing all my chores and writing first thing in the morning before I take a shower and dress for the day. My energy level is highest in the morning hours, so this has been working for me quite well.
Once the chores are finished, writing begins, still in my nightgown. Writing is always fun once I open the project and begin. With the memoir, I am having new memories pop up as I write. I can easily write 800 to 1,000 words in a short time. Then it’s fun to look through pictures and pull in the ones that fit that memory. I’m actually enjoying my writing time again.
I’m excited to begin writing about my time spent walking the creek banks deep into the wooded areas where my imagination bloomed. Those times are so easily pictured, and I wander back there often in my quiet moments of senior living. I’ll be writing about my “stick” horse, Spooky, who was very real to me. I might incorporate a short story I wrote about him twenty years ago.
I’ve digressed from the main subject matter and almost slipped back into dumping information better suited to the memoir! The point I wished to make is for seniors like me who can sometimes feel as if their life is slipping away with no purpose, finding a routine might be what inspires a new spark. It’s worked for me! God gets the glory!
Carol Ann Erhardt, Author 