Tell us about your morning routine.

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I would say that over the years my morning routine has drastically changed. There was a point in my life where I didn’t have one at all and this was by choice. It came during the aftermath of my first job when I had previously quit and did not want to return. I felt like having a routine was something that a person who had to work did while those who didn’t have one slept in and weren’t expected to do anything. I was doing this to ensure that I never had to return to work. I would stay up all night and get little to no sleep and find myself sleeping for almost the entire next day. At one point, I actually did sleep all day after staying up all night the night before. I think I woke up at around 9:00 p.m. I hadn’t eaten anything all day. I had made very few phone calls and though this is embarrassing to think about all these years later, (this occurred about 5 to 10 years ago,) I had no routine for taking a shower and I almost never did it. When I finally did wake up, I found my friend sitting on my couch as we had planned to watch a movie when I eventually did wake up but I had put him off numerous times up until that point. I had said “give me another hour/two hours to rest. I’ll meet you at that time..” ETC. By 9:00 p.m, that night, I was just waking up and you would probably think that I would have been wide awake having slept the whole day. However, less than ten minutes into the movie, I fell asleep again and my friend left. I woke up on my couch the next morning having not taken a bite of food that day so I was starving. My mother was angry with me for doing this and forced me to establish a routine where I would be up during the day. This took quite some time for her to accomplish. As a matter of fact, there was a point, (I’m not sure if this was before or after the events I just described,) that I stayed awake for four days straight without closing my eyes once! Eventually I did fall asleep and when I woke up, I was starting to hallucinate things happening, (my phone ringing, people at my bed side, being told that someone was on their way to give me something,) ETC. In real time, my staff where I lived had showed up having not heard from me in days. I forgot who she was and introduced myself to her as if we had never met. Other staff grew concerned about my mental state so I think my mother brought me to a hospital or a doctor, (I can’t remember how this ended but there was some sort of medical intervention,) where the doctor simply said, “Jeff, you need more sleep.” By the way, my first name is Jeff. Having said this, I got little to no sympathy from mom as she regarded it as a  lack of responsibility taken on my part and from that point on, she worked tirelessly, (no pun intended,) to establish a decent morning routine where I stay up during the day with little to no naps. Though this was hard at some points due to me being stubborn, I think I have finally found a routine that works. Though this routine may not be exactly what mom wants, (as I still have yet to find a bedtime routine,) at least it’s better than me having no routine at all. This is the routine that I currently follow. Rather than it just being established all at once, mom had to do this in parts. First I had to establish a proper time to wake up with me complaining about it initially being too early and that I don’t get enough sleep, that my staff need to be more considerate to the fact that I’m a night person, ETC. However, through the need to never give up, we have finally established that I wake up no later than 8:30 a.m. I still have those moments where I wish I could sleep later but these are just dismissed by both mom and myself. Once this was established, she implemented a shower routine which I complained about by saying that showers are only given four times a week from staff, (this is an actual protocol my staff have.) Once again, after nearly pulling her hair out to the point of baldness, (I mean this in a figurative sense and not a literal sense,) we established that I would take my shower as soon as I woke up. Then it became a problem for me to be finished the shower in time for staff to perform my morning schedule with me saying they should wait and that they work for me and not the other way around, ETC. There was a point where it was me vs. the staff as it pertained to whether or not I should finish to align with their schedule. I think at one point, mom finally got upset with me and warned me that if I didn’t follow this schedule, she would want nothing to do with me. This is a big part of our relationship as my belief is that no matter how old a person is, they should always have a good relationship with their mother. Anyway, after establishing that, I now have the desired and agreed upon morning routine that both mom and I can agree on.

I get up no later than 8:30 and prepare to have my shower and also make any appropriate phone calls, (though the phone calls are supposed to be done only after staff have completed my care. However, this is still being worked on.) I should have my clothes that I’m going to wear ready for when they arrive. This is another thing I’m getting better at but still have my moments. Provided I don’t need the washroom prior to getting into the shower, I get in and perform it like normal, (on days that the washroom is necessary, I start my shower afterwards but sometimes I will be late as a result.) I get out of the shower, brush my teeth, put my deodorant and cologne on and will occasionally check the time to see if I’m still ahead, (this varies from day to day. However, assuming I did start when I was supposed to, I usually end up being on time. However, if I start the shower at 9:00 a.m. or later, more often than not, I find myself behind schedule as my care officially starts at 9:15 a.m.) 

That’s pretty much it. I basically need to have everything done and ready for when my staff arrive. It sounds easy enough especially compared to the routines of some other people but I’ve had my moments where I think it’s crazy sometimes and some mornings I even have to rush through my shower due to lack of time but I still take one though. It’s just not as good as any shower would have been if I had started when I was supposed to.

I basically live a life where everything has a time limit and whether I like it or not, I do have to treat my staff with respect and this includes being ready for them.

Ironically after writing this paragraph about sleep and the lack of it, I could use a nap right about now. Of course, I don’t have time for one but what can I say? It’s life. It’s just like they say. There ain’t no rest for the wicked until we close our eyes for good!

By Jefferson Bert