Lately I have been letting myself fall asleep early-- whether at 7pm or at 11pm, going to sleep before Midnight is essential. Studies have shown that people who work the 'graveyard' shift as I did for years, actually makes you die sooner. That Brian Johnson 'immortal' guy also says that 8pm bedtime is non-negotiable for him. So well enough, I have been going to bed early. But then I wake up at 2am, or 3am, or 4am with my cats. And if I have been laying in bed watching social media nonsense for 3 hours, am I even resting? So now at 4:31am I am up, red light on, blogging about this on Hive.
What do my cats know, except what I teach them? They fall asleep when I fall asleep, but they stir when I stir. I had a tooth pulled out yesterday, and the attendant told me NO HOT LIQUIDS for a few days? Soup is all I have most days, all I can really afford. And when I look back on my grocery bills, I am not even sure if making soup is affordable. When the wholesale opens, I may buy another $10 bag of potatoes, the big one, but have to inspect them to make sure they aren't already rotting. The quality of food in Canada has gone down dramatically, it's hard to find carrots that aren't already turning mushy and gross.
Soups are also way better when you cook ground beef (vs frozen burgers), although its so expensive all I can afford are the cheap $9 pink slime tubes (that used to be $5). I am not sure what I will buy today, mashed potatoes and carrots may be my only option at the moment. More gravy packs, so at least I can enjoy my mashed potatoes until my mouth heals enough to make soup next week. I am out of the Beef base, the barley, the frozen veggies... I did buy some tomato soup (for the prepared soup) and have at least another can of Chicken Noodle soup, but the Chicken soup base at wholesale is $16 unless I get the better $12 can of Chicken base at Walmart.
Oh right Triphasic sleep. So if I get up in the middle of the night, or early, I will be ready for another nap around 11am or after Noon. There are so many things that need to be done, i've felt like it is impossible to keep up. The status quo always bothers me after a while, I get into a routine that works. Then I have to switch it up. I did clean off my desk and move my computer monitors over, but with my keyboards till to the left the 'cranking the neck to the right' problem persists.
I look around and think, too much junk. Too much clutter. The only solution is to throw things away, get rid of stuff, minimize. Yet I need many of these things, and have acquired others. There's obvious stuff I can get rid of, like the broken electric violin that can either be given away for repairs or tossed. The digiree doo needs the right customer, I bought it and I tried it but I don't think I have the lungs for it. Requires the throat-growling skills and while I was excited to buy it, now I wonder who would rather have it than me. I know someone out there wants a Digiree doo.
I cleared a bunch of stuff off my desk last week, but then ended up having to pile it back up here, and Roofus sits on my keyboard and chews on whatever he can. Another reason why I didn't fall back asleep, listening to him walking on all my stuff. Three books I have been holding onto for years, sit here also. My intent to read then, has not materialized in the moment yet.
Gathering together and organizing my books, my VHS, my DVDs, and my games, is a project itself. And already they are sort of organized, so it's just making another mess. These are the things I stress about when I am awake at night.
What can be done! What can I do! Stop thinking and just pick things up. Throw things out. I have too many things, how much money will I spend to pay for all this junk I have accumulated over the past two decades? I remember moving and having just a few boxes, my now overflowing filing cabinet, and a blue camping roll to sleep on.
I have nothing to complain about really, but need to decide what serves me now, and what does not. The first half of my life was about learning, the second half must be about doing the right things. Even my chair is piled with things that don't fit on my desk. If I moved my chair, and set up a folding table, I could better pile the portfolios and boxes there. Where do I move the chair? What use is having junk stacked everywhere...
And now all my cats are awake, meowing and being difficult. I think about solutions, I have ideas about what I can do. But implementing them, is the challenge. As always, the answers are in my two hands, and focus. Taking the time to work from one spot to the next, cleaning, eliminating, organizing, detailing, planning, following my plans.
I suspect that thinkers need less things. Material stuff always feels like a burden, even the things you know you need. This year I am striving not to start anything new, although I need to continue to innovate. I am reluctant to launch any of my big ideas, because I will just have to start again in 2027. I've been aggressively tracking my barebones expenses, and the cost of living is just too high to justify anything.
Well it's 4:55am and I should probably do some dishes and dice some cantaloupe. When the store opens I can buy potatoes I suppose, then come home and sleep again? Today should be a rest and recovery day, but as you can tell I have so much on my mind. I guess the first place to start is a simple list I can follow today. Clean. Take out recycling. Maybe I can take all the glass down to the place where they want you to smash the jars, sure seems like a waste, but its a mess. If I can clean my downstairs hallway, that will open up the space and reduce the hazards.
Maybe i'll accomplish some things, if I begin right away.
I made 3 crepes, they turned out alright. Diced a cucumber and a cantaloupe, portioned into three snack box containers. Plastic containers, unfortunately, but I will keep my eye out for something metal or glass this year. Nanoplastics are a seriously scary fact. Try to reduce your use!
@Darkflame
