If I woke up tomorrow and found it was actually today again, I’d know I was dealing with a different universe where anything can happen! That would be crazy, exciting and scary, all at the same time. But what would I do differently than what I actually did today? And why? That’s a little more mundane.
The first thing I would do in my new universe would be to kill the alarm clock for having woken me up in the first place today. I’ve hated alarms of all kinds for decades, with the possible exception of soft music played on clock radios. But please, I can survive nicely without a radio blaring talk shows at unearthly hours, rap music, salsa, or opera. We won’t get into cell phones bleating annoying door chimes, or frogs ribbeting!
When I can wake up on my own timetable – the first benefit of living the writer’s life – I’m fully rested and can face the day and most of what it brings. But when I’m startled awake, it’s bad for my health and my attitude in every way, and probably yours, too. Recent medical reports indicate many heart attacks happen in the early hours of the day and they may well happen because of the stress of having to wake up and go deal with more stress on a job, in a volunteer position, or simply at home. It seems to me that any sudden noise would be stress-producing, yet we let ourselves be ordered around by everyone else’s schedule.
Then, after I had woken up on my own time schedule, I would stay indoors since it was 103 degrees Fahrenheit today. The weatherman predicted it was going to be very hot, so most older folks stayed inside anyway. But some of the rest of us felt obligated to take an even older person to an appointment, endangering the other person and ourselves. Perhaps we did it because we feared the consequences of not taking them or that we would be blamed if anything happened because they didn’t show up. Heaping coals of fire on someone else’s head is one of the more arrogant attributes of human society. It’s made worse when the person being criticized is already doing the best they can with a situation they hadn’t signed up for in the first place.
Running the floor fans for 24 hours wasn’t the best idea today because the motors eventually overheat and you have to go out and buy new floor fans. But air conditioners draw a lot of power and can only be run during the hottest part of the day and early evening. So I would turn the outdoor thermostat down a notch or two. Yet that would mean playing God, wouldn’t it? I know I’m not ready for that responsibility or its consequences!
No, staying indoors is the answer during my second chance at today. I would research homes for sale on the Internet, hoping for a quiet community near to the types of amenities that I need. Maybe there is a tiered assisted living village and as the years pass, someone can take me to those needed appointments, also. Fun activities exist for those who choose to participate. In the meantime, the much-needed value of the assisted living housing would free me to release creativity and to bring in needed income.
On the other hand, assisted living facilities have a lot of rules and regulations, don’t they? Are the rules more onerous than Home Owners Association restrictions in neighborhoods where everyone has the same Mexican clay pots near their front doors? And no one dares to hang out even a few items of laundry to dry on the back patio, not even when the clothes dryer is on the fritz? Some bored and nosey neighbor might see it after all. Would young grandchildren or great-nieces be allowed to visit for a day? Would our church visitors be allowed inside our gated compound, even with advance approval from me? I seriously doubt it because they likely wouldn’t come straight to my place any more than they do now.
Perhaps a single-family residence in an age-integrated seaside town would provide freedom from regulations for another decade or two. In my alternate universe, anything should be possible. I should have the web writing income I need to pursue my choice of lifestyle or come very close to it without moving thousands of miles away.
If I woke up tomorrow and found it was actually today again, I think I would stay in my alternate universe!