BY PHILIP LARKIN
What are days for?
Days are where we live.
They come, they wake us
Time and time over.
They are to be happy in:
Where can we live but days?
Ah, solving that question
Brings the priest and the doctor
In their long coats
Running over the fields.
At my 70th birthday celebration I raised the question with multiple; people what should my goals be for the next 10 years? What does one do from 70 to 80? It seemed to me that I had completed the projects I undertook at retirement. I had created a new life in New York and France, found new friends and interests. Distressingly, there was little I wanted to accomplish, or do; few new places to visit; no bucket list.
The possible solution I found was to attend to “days” one day at a time. This requires examining each day and making it the best day possible or examining a collection of days and making them the best possible. This project does not accumulate accomplishments. Attention must be paid to the harmonious whole of the day. I do not yet know how to do this. It appears that a daily story and memory should be created.
update 8/5/23. My project for this year is to adopt schedules to structure the propel the days:
Daily:
- Breakfast
- Bath
- French
- Meditation
- Choirs
Weekly
- Two Lance workouts (one in person, one virtual)
- One lunch to new restaurant and location
- One theater
- one gallery or museum
- Two walks
- Two visits to gym
The day is long, . It flirts with nothingness. It always does.
Aug 26 2019
Days
BY PHILIP LARKIN
What are days for?
Days are where we live.
They come, they wake us
Time and time over.
They are to be happy in:
Where can we live but days?
Ah, solving that question
Brings the priest and the doctor
In their long coats
Running over the fields.
At my 70th birthday celebration I raised the question with multiple; people what should my goals be for the next 10 years? What does one do from 70 to 80? It seemed to me that I had completed the projects I undertook at retirement. I had created a new life in New York and France, found new friends and interests. Distressingly, there was little I wanted to accomplish, or do; few new places to visit; no bucket list.
The possible solution I found was to attend to “days” one day at a time. This requires examining each day and making it the best day possible or examining a collection of days and making them the best possible. This project does not accumulate accomplishments. Attention must be paid to the harmonious whole of the day. I do not yet know how to do this. It appears that a daily story and memory should be created.
update 8/5/23. My project for this year is to adopt schedules to structure the propel the days:
Daily:
Weekly
The day is long, . It flirts with nothingness. It always does.
By Daniel • Visions