Freezing

 

I usually get up very early, between four and five. I have always loved the early hours, although the night has its own charm too, but the morning has something very special. It has the energy of the beginning and I like that a lot!

In these last years my wake up time got earlier and earlier. Yes, they say that in old age you sleep less. At the beginning I was worried, so early, too early? After some time trying to get back to sleep I surrendered, and made the best out of it: I have more time to dedicate to my activities!

After the Christmas vacation ended, with the 6th of January, the Epiphany, the temperature dropped below zero in the night, sometimes also during the day. When I have to do my grocery shopping I like to go out early, as soon as the supermarkets open, at 8. Or, during the midday break, because in Italy the meals are quite sacred, even in the north – although less fanatically as in the south – and in that time, there are fewer people in the supermarkets and the cue is almost inexistent.

Now that everything is frozen in the morning, in order to avoid having to scrape the ice off, my best choice is to go out at midday.

So my mornings are long. And I am happy about it. I have so much to recover. As in my previous life there was no time for me, nor to dedicate to what I usually would do, that is study and write, now that I can finally dedicate my energy and attention to what I had in mind to write and publish, it feels strange.

Although this is the fifth year of my freedom, I still feel a creeping sense of guilt when I dive deep into my things, as if I were steeling my time from duties I were supposed to accomplish! I still have to keep telling myself: You are free now, take your time, it is all yours!

Getting older means that one needs more time for everything. Especially to recover! I must be patient!