Sure, I Can Adapt.

I prefer having a routine. I'd like to think that I'm not compulsive concerning any routine I follow, but I enjoy the feeling of having a certain amount of control in life. Spontaneity can be OK, but chaos can drive me up the wall.

Having made this my home for nearly two years, my circadian rhythm has been set to the pattern of the rising and setting of the sun in Philippines. I'm awake every morning about 5 o'clock. Depending on the month, the sun rises in Dumaguete between 5:30 and 6:00. By 6:00, I've had coffee and I'm ready to start my day.

There's only one gym where I can workout in Sibulan . It's a kilometer from our apartment; walking there before my workout with the free weights is a nice warm up. When I first started a membership at the gym, I was told that it opened every morning at 6 o'clock. It didn't take long to find out that that is not exactly true. The gym is on the 2nd floor of a store, and while it's not necessary for either of the gym's owners to be there, the store owner has to be there. I can't get inside the store building otherwise and he won't be there that early.

I don't go to the gym every day - usually just four days a week. I have the store owner's mobile number, and I used to send a text to him just before leaving the apartment so he could be there to open the door. When that plan didn't work, we settled on my leaving the apartment at seven, which would me put at the gym about 7:20. That seemed to work better for the store owner, although he still isn't able to be on time every day. This morning he was 20 minutes late.

I don't like getting up at 5:00 and then having to wait until 8:00 to get started, so I've decided to modify my routine - again.

Rather than do the "long" walk 2 days a week and doing the "short" walk on gym days, I'm going to try and do the "long" walk six days a week. On those days, I walk four or five kilometers. Starting Monday, I'll walk my four kilometers and wait until about 9 before going to the gym. I'll wait until Monday to decide whether I'll walk the additional kilometer to the gym or drive there. The decision will depend on how tired I am after the "long" walk, as well as the outside temperature. If it's too hot out by 9:00, I'll not feel up to the additional walk.

This new routine will serve two purposes. This new walking schedule should add an extra 10 kilometers a week. (more if I also walk to the gym later). I'll also be arriving at the gym at a time when I know the doors will be open. No more standing around outside the store waiting on the owner to let me in.