“Woke up, fell out of bed
Dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup
And looking up I noticed I was late
Found my coat and grabbed my hat
Made the bus in seconds flat
Found my way upstairs and had a smoke
And somebody spoke and I went into a dream”
- Lennon/McCartney (1967)
“A Day in the Life” is a song by the Beatles that was released as the final track of their 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Credited to Lennon–McCartney, the opening and closing sections of the song were mainly written by John Lennon, with Paul McCartney primarily contributing the song’s middle section. All four Beatles shaped the final arrangement of the song. While the lyrics don’t apply much to today’s post, the title does- as I write about a day in the life of me in my golden years. (spoiler alert: I don’t drag a comb across my head or have a smoke.) While I don’t get to everything on this list every day or at these exact times, this is a pretty typical day:
For as long as I can remember, I wake up without an alarm between 4:30 and 5:30 AM, regardless of what time I go to bed. I’ve tried sleeping longer, but once I know it’s around 5:00, I am unable to go back to sleep for some reason. In preparing this blog, I found out it’s an actual medical condition. “Waking up consistently between 4:00 AM and 6:00 AM, unable to fall back asleep, is a specific pattern of sleep disruption known as terminal insomnia, or early morning awakening. This is a common symptom affecting sleep quality and leading to daytime fatigue.” I found out that by 4–6 AM, you’re in lighter, later stages of sleep (NREM and REM), which are more easily disrupted by noise, temperature changes, or bladder fullness (BINGO!). And my day starts…
5:00 AM – Weigh myself
By 2024, my weight had ballooned to 190 pounds. I realized I needed to lose some weight, as it was taking a toll on my joints and heart. So from 2024-2025, I lost 25 pounds, primarily through watching my calories and going with a heavily plant-based diet. By the book I should lose about 10 more pounds, but I’ve found that’s pretty much impossible. I aim to maintain 160 to 170, but I can quickly start gaining again if I don’t watch my weight. Hopping on the scale each morning is a good way for me to keep it in check. My weight on the scale in the photo is a bit high- that’s obviously because I’m also holding my 5 pound phone to take the picture…
5:10 – Take 5 pills for my heart and blood pressure; and prednisone eye drops for cornea transplants
I’ve been doing this for a long time, with some tweaks in the medication along the way. Thanks to the ablation, I was able to get off one of my heart rhythm medications, and switch from the prescription blood thinner Eliquis to just baby aspirin.
5:15 AM – Feed the cats
We generally leave out dry food for the cats to eat whenever they want. But when one of our cats got sick and could only eat wet food, we started putting out canned food, which all the cats loved. So now it’s canned food for all, although we still leave out some dry food in case they get hungry during the day. They could be in a sound sleep, but the minute they hear me get up, they come to the kitchen and meow for their food.
5:30 AM – Drink my daily overnight oats while watching the news.
I subscribe to Overnight Oats, and just love them- they come in about 40 flavors, are high in protein, they fill me up until lunch time. An easy and delicious way to start the day. And I always start my morning watching the Action News team for the latest news and weather reports. I actually go back and forth between “Action News” and “Way Too Early”/”Morning Joe” to also get the breaking political news of the day. I’ve tried a few times to submit something witty to get my name on TV for the “Why Are You Up Way Too Early?” segment, but no luck so far.
5:45 AM – Take my KardiaMobile EKG and blood pressure
The cardiac ablation procedure I had in January seems to have resolved my atrial fibrillation, but I did have one brief episode after surgery, which my cardiologist attributed to post-procedure inflammation. But you can also have asymptomatic AFib, so I like to double check each day. Also, at my last primary care doctor visit, he noted some extra heartbeats (Premature Ventricular Contractions). Although they are not as serious as AFib, the ablation should have knocked out the PVCs, too. Since I generally cannot feel when I’m having PVCs, I’ve been checking the EKG each day and recording any abnormalities. My cardiologist likes to review the recordings when I visit. Thankfully over the past several months, I’ve had no AFib, and rare PVCs- I am usually in a Normal Sinus Rhythm, which my cardiologist likes to see. I just want to stay on top of it.
I’ve had hypertension for 30 years, so that is nothing new. It’s pretty much under control from all my meds, but every now and then when I visit a doctor, they find a slightly higher reading than usual. It’s generally the “white coat syndrome” of doctor visit anxiety raising my blood pressure, but I like to check it each day to ensure I’m generally in the normal range- and to update my cardiologist during my scheduled visits.
6:00 AM – Clean 4 cat litter boxes; take out the trash
We have 4 litter boxes, and it’s a chore to keep them all clean. We have at least one on each floor of the house. We’ve tried all sorts of litter, and no matter what the box label says, there is no such thing as “low dust”, “non-tracking”, or “lightweight”. But I’ll take cleaning the cat litter over taking a dog out in rain and snow any day!
6:30 AM- Check out any photos/video from my night vision camera to see what animals visited that night; fill up our 4 bird/critter feeders and bird bath; water our plants and small deck garden.
Word has spread among the bird/animal kingdom that some great food can be had at the Leitmeyer house. We spend way too much money on bird food, but I love to look out our windows and sit on the deck and watch the wildlife. I find it relaxing. For a while I couldn’t figure out why the leftover food was always gone in the morning, but the night camera shows there is plenty of action in our backyard after the sun has set.
I also enjoy gardening and landscaping, although I absolutely suck at it. I would say about 75% of what I plant dies- over watering, underwatering, overfertilizing, underfertilizing, too much sun, not enough sun, getting eaten by critters or infected by disease. But I don’t let it bother me anymore- when it dies, I get to plant something else and try all over again. It’s become a bit of a game, and an extreme joy when it actually works out.
7:00 AM – More eyedrops, this time for “dry eyes”; plus 10 minutes with a warm compress for chronic eyelid inflammation / styes
I’ve gone to a specialist at Wills Eye Hospital for my styes, which I seem to get all the time. I take oral antibiotics when it gets bad, but I’ve found that the warm compresses every day seems to keep it under control so it doesn’t get too bad.
7:30 AM – Physical Therapy exercises
I have severe arthritis in my right shoulder, dramatically limiting my range of motion. I’ve had difficulty in the past with injections, and I’m not looking forward to surgery again. Unlike my knee, which I need to walk, my limited range of motion is not yet so debilitating that I want to go through another surgery to resolve it- but it is annoying. Physical therapy has helped improve my movements and pain, and continuing the exercises can hopefully help me avoid another operation for a while. I just need to make a point to stick with it. My daily routine is definitely helping.
8:00 AM – Time for a cold tea
I don’t drink coffee, and I prefer cold tea over hot tea. I just love ITO EN’s Oi Ocha Unsweetened Green Tea. I get it online, as it is hard to find in grocery stores. I typically would have 2 bottles a day, although caffeine can be a trigger for AFib. My cardiologist said some caffeine is OK, depending on how I react to it. I’m still in the process of checking my EKGs in relation to my caffeine intake to see what doesn’t affect my heart rhythm / blood pressure, so lately it’s been a bit of trial and error. So far so good. But to cut down on the caffeine, I’ve also been having Happy Being’s Sparkling White Tea, which is caffeine-free. I don’t like it quite as much as the caffeinated green tea, but it gets me through the day. I’ve also discovered home-brewing herbal non-caffeinated cold tea, which particularly hits the spot after a workout.
8:30 – Nasal wash
In addition to my other ailments, I have chronic nasal congestion (which can contribute to my terminal insomnia). I recently got a Nasal Fresh Saline Irrigation System. It definitely helps, but it does take some getting used to. And it needs to be cleaned regularly, which is a bit of a pain. The jury is still out on whether or not this will be part of my regular routine, but I’m giving it a try. It does help clear out my sinuses after a rinse.
9:00- Catch up on email and social media, and read the local newspaper
In reality I fall into the social media wormhole off and on all day long, but there is usually at least one point during the day where I make a point to check messages and Facebook posts. I also have to read our newspapers. We still subscribe to the daily Reporter, the weekly Independent, and the Sunday Inquirer- to support the media in general as well as to get caught up on our local area news. I can’t seem to make the switch to only electronic news- there is nothing like the look and feel of real newsprint. I’ll keep buying it as long as they are in business.
10:00 – Work out at the Y (or go hiking)
I try to get to the Y every day, unless I have other things going on. The nice thing about being a senior is my insurance covers the cost in full- the “silver sneakers” program. My typical workout is a 45-minute cardio workout on an elliptical machine, and then a hit the weight machines every other day. The weights are primarily for my legs; I’m still working out what I should be doing for my arms/shoulder from my physical therapist. I think in the past I was doing more harm than good with the weights, so I’m getting some guidance on the right exercises for my shoulders.
I enjoy going to the Y, but it’s good to get outside once in a while, so I find hiking is a good alternative to my Y workouts. While I physically can’t hike as often or as far as I used to, I still love getting out on the trails. It’s fun going with friends, and being outside helps clear my head and generally improves my mood. Nowadays a 5 mile hike maybe once week when the weather is nice (not too hot or not too cold) is ideal. It’s embarrassingly lightweight compared to what I used to do, but it’s what I’m comfortable with these days, and I do really enjoy it.
Afternoon/evening – Eva’s a night owl, but as you can see, I’m a morning guy. By noon I’m already getting tired. The afternoon is usually time for me to chill- eat lunch, watch TV, write another blog entry, take a nap. The evenings are pretty open ended – maybe we’re babysitting, going out for dinner, catching up with friends, or heading out to a concert or movie or sporting event. If I have not yet reached 10,000 steps on my FitBit watch, I may try to do some extra walking to hit that goal (or else my watch will yell at me.) On nights when we aren’t going out, I’m generally in bed by 9 PM.
And that’s a day in the life in my golden years. With apologies to Lennon and MCartney:
“Woke up, fell out of bed,
Weighed myself and shaved my head.
Found my way downstairs and took my pills,
Fed the cats, cleaned the litter and paid my bills.
Took my blood pressure and an EKG.
Did my PT exercises and drank a tea.
Found my way upstairs and rinsed my nose.
Watered the plants with a garden hose.
Found my coat and grabbed my hat,
Hit the trails and had a friendly chat.
Worked up a sweat and got real tired
I sure am glad I am retired
Made my way home in seconds flat
Now I was ready for my afternoon nap
And somebody spoke and I went into a dream- I’d love to turn you on (to retirement)…”
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