One of the questions I get almost every place I go is a request to describe my work day.  When I was young, it was action packed.  I wrote 4000 words a day, practiced my music, went to theater or movies with my husband, made family dinners with his three sons.  I even tutored in an after-school program.

That was then, this is now.  Over the years, various parts of my body have stopped functioning, some from age, some from a car wreck I was in 5 years ago.  My day now starts with my exercise program,  I have a routine for my neck, which means also strengthening the traps, the pecs and the abs.  My antique knees have their own regimen.  A general stretching to warm up the whole body.

Then it’s time for the first cappuccino of the day, made according to Intelligentsia’s rigorous prescription.

The dog must be walked, and then, of course, the aging body must have aerobic exercise to keep the aging brain functioning.

By now, it’s 11 a.m and I haven’t even had breakfast yet.

Today, I learned that yet another failing body part will take hours of attention each day.  I have rotten teeth–I’ve had 17 root canals.  And despite obsessive-compulsive flossing and brushing, one tooth rotted so badly that my whole jaw began to disintegrate.  Bone grafts followed, and a titanium implant.  Today I learned that the implant requires a special regimen all its own.  I believe that  regimen will take the time in the morning formerly alotted to writing.  And by then, it will be lunch time, followed by the afternoon nap.  A second cappuccino, a glance at the e-mails.  By now, I have to knock off to make dinner.  Eating means the implant must be watered and groomed once again.  Forget music, tutoring, or writing–this gets me to bed time–once midnight or 1 a.m., now a decorous 10 or 10:30.

Believe me, I am working harder than any time in the past!