We took my aunt and uncle to a matinee performance of Beautiful: The Carole King Story at a theater near their retirement community. The four of us agreed the show was terrific-- good performances and great music, although looking around at my fellow theatre-goers I noted that Heidi and I were among the youngest there.
Since we had purchased the tickets (3 seniors and 1 adult), they invited us to a meal afterward, so we found ourselves in a line of older folks waiting for a table at a nearby tavern at 4:30 PM, a good 3 hours before we usually eat. The college-age wait staff was friendly, patient, and deferential, and service was very quick; I had my salad within 10 minutes.
Sometimes I chafe at such an interruption in my routine, and I confess to a moment of despair when I wondered if matinees and 4:30 dinners were what I had to look forward to as I approach my golden years. But tucked away in a cozy windowless booth in a corner of the restaurant, I realized that it could be any time of day or night, and I might never know unless I chose to look at a watch.
Routines, like time, are just constructs, and it's okay to break them once in a while or even to let them evolve.
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