How strange this concept of time

I have been sitting around on my backside the whole week. I have not had a bit of real exercise. Somehow the need to go to the gym or run or kick box are the only reasons I will get out of the house early in the morning. Not for me the stepping out and smelling the dew and hob-nobbing with the morning birds and so on. I used to do such things as soon as my exams finished back in my school days but not any more. These days I finish my morning kitchen related tasks and sit my ever-growing backside down at the computer. Dwelling only briefly on the thought that there is ironing to do (there ALWAYS is).

In essence, I have this time on my hands now. I am awake. I have always been an alarmingly bright morning person. I used to wake up at 5:30 (well before the rest of the household) even back when I was a slip of a girl in pig-tails and a green uniform. It was fine, I never felt grouchy or angry or irritated at having to wake up early. I enjoyed it all. College broke a bit of the habit though the first class being at 8 am consistently ensured I was out of bed at 6:45 except on weekends when I made it just in time for the Dosa breakfast usually. In grad school I always prided myself on taking the first bus in to work. It has only been recently that I have switched back to my exercise in the morning routine. Circumstances and the culture of the place prevented me from indulging in it up to now, about four years ago. One day I hit myself on the head and realised that this was what was missing. Strangely, it happened around the time my mum made me read some Robin Sharma book (The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari - Ugh! - I glanced through only parts of it frankly). So mum thinks that meditating on the rose is the reason I wake up early. Oh well.

So I have a good chunk of alert time in the mornings now. I KNOW I must utilise it fruitfully. Some days I do. I do some tasks around the house. Or I study a little bit if there is a class to teach. But I rarely do anything more serious than that. Although I stress about how much I have to read in the next couple of days (and, more importantly, write, in the next couple of weeks), I cannot get myself to do much about it. That is for the office, when I am sitting down marvelling at the dust that has accumulated on my delicate electronic items (and cursing my fucking irritating VAIO. Seriously. I feel I might break it one of these days).

On Sundays I usually make a list of things that I like to do. I mean really like, not just tolerate. So if my entire time was filled with liked activities what would it be like. Mostly it involves my two homies, hanging out without fighting with them, at least two sessions of exercise, one by myself (really they both make me reduce my intensity) and one more with them (I allot them the evening slot in my mind), beer (not too much, just a bit, to build up my heart health), puzzles (once my semester ended and my irritation levels with younger people reduced, I find myself increasingly attracted by the Rubik's Cube, Kaleidoscope, Sudoku, and what not), reading, computering, so on.

If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I'd like to do
Is to save everyday till eternity passes
Just to spend them with you

(not my own of course).

something like that. Though I don't want to save anything. Get it all over with. The year 2008 has almost wound down now. It has been a leap year. I like leap years generally (no real reason). Nice things have happened. Horrendous things have happened. Births and deaths and love and hate in equal measure. And personally, I have ridden the usual sinusoidal curve thats life with much better attitude I do think. There have been times of absolute highs (and not necessarily induced by spirits; those don't count especially since the hang overs are worse than ever as I age), and somewhat rock bottom lows. And out of the highs I have emerged with confidence that yes, I can do this. Out of the lows I have extracted some pieces of that elusive purpose of life puzzle. But mostly, I have calmly and collectedly allowed the sands of time to pour down.

I am ready for 2009. Bring it on.