Engaging in activity for activities sake.

One of the problems of not belonging to a routine is that without one the lack of structure draws one into the one area that structure still exists, eating.

 The process of preparing and cooking, even the substitute in the day of time, when earring becomes like a post to tie yourself to for an hour or so.

It's a lack of a time line which is the problem. One can make up the day in which ever you wish and equally you can let the day drift. Letting the day drift is a Protestant no no of course. It goes against all the ethic of hard work, of making time pay  of protecting ones self against being lazy.
Our Victorian forefathers had a hierarchy of sins of which being work shy or lazy was right on top of the list. Even when retired, society had its rounds and its protocol. You were part of a show which determined your breeding.
Luckily we are not any more a part of Crufts and can more or less do what we want. Unfortunately after a lifetime of punctuality it's difficult not having anything to be punctual for. The ethic drummed into us from childhood about cleanliness and keeping busy makes us yearn therapy to learn to relax, to do nothing without feeling that it's a crime.
Looked at from the perspective that you only have so much time left (to live) and that you should cram as much into a day as possible. It's a conundrum. If and when you let go of that set of ideals and criteria which are presented as socially acceptable, only to find that in actual fact, society itself is not acceptable, where do you turn. I have to turn elsewhere for inspiration but if the criteria is flawed because the interplay with others is built on the false premise that all are equal what then ?
Food and its preparation is one of the links to ones past which changes little. Perhaps now the food has to be prepared by yourself, but that's no bad thing since if you don't like it, it's no use complaining.
The process of eating is one of those fundamental time clocks, stuck in aspic moments which because we need food we unreservedly set aside time no matter how busy. Even the Victorian overseer allows us pause for a food break so that when we eat this is like an oasis, a period of being off the leash which no one can interfere with. Subliminally we are free from doubt and its one of the reasons we turn towards the kitchen when stuck for anything else to do.
Eating too often and too much produces the very antidote to a busy fruitful life you get fat and more immobile but then it also reminds us that with a good glass of wine 🍷 time brings so many other rewards than simply an opportunity to engage in activity for activities sake.