Pastor Ken
When I was young, a retiree told me, “I can sleep all I want in the morning and wake up naturally. No need for an alarm clock. Sometimes I just lie in bed for nothing till I feel ready to get up.”
Back then, I was envious. Now I’m retired and can do the same. Indeed, I have tried to sleep until I wake up naturally. But it isn’t enjoyable as I imagined. Now, I set the alarm clock and wake up on time every morning.
For decades, most of my days began with the sound of an alarm clock. In middle school, I had to wind my clock by hand every day. A small mechanical hammer hit the bell to make a sound.
I remember another unique alarm clock well. When it was time, it made a slight tapping sound every second. If I didn’t press the snooze button after 30 seconds, it would become a bell sound for another 30 seconds, then turn into a continuous ringtone. This step-by-step alarm is especially suitable for a light sleeper like me. I don’t like to be awakened by a sudden loud noise.
One college friend knew he often fell into a deep sleep. So he used two alarm clocks, one by his bed and the other in the bathroom. In case he turned off the alarm by the bed and fell back to sleep, the second one in the bathroom would set off in a few minutes. He had no choice but to get up and go to the bathroom and splashed cold water onto his face.
Later on, most of my alarm clocks used batteries. Some of them were plugged in with batteries as a backup. Many also served as radios with wake-up music. In college, my roommate liked to listen to music. The first thing he entered our room was to turn on the radio. He set his alarm clock to wake him up with music. A few times, the music played for at least thirty minutes. By the time I left, he was still asleep. This kind of alarm clock seems not very effective for people who listen to music all the time.
Nowadays, many people use smartphones to set the alarm with their favorite sound or music at a certain volume. In my opinion, an alarm clock is just a tool. If we have a good night’s sleep, we may wake up naturally.
Regardless of the types of alarm clocks, one important consideration is whether we have anything planned for the day. In retirement, we don’t need to rush to work or shoulder a lot of responsibilities. However, if we just sit around and do nothing, life gradually becomes meaningless. And life without directions may trigger unwanted health issues. A better way is to plan out activities for the next day before going to bed. When the morning comes and the alarm clock sets off, we’re ready to get up and live another day to the fullest.
