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Just a brief note, checking in on the fourth day of my retirement.
Things are looking up. Now that I am getting used to the idea, I like it. It's still feels wierd not to go into the office (and especially wierd because the office is on the first floor of my house). I'm still making the coffee in the morning, and still trying to figure out how to be socialble to everyone but not hanging around.
You want to feel strange? Try being outside, gardening on a beautiful day, and periodically waving at the people inside who are still working but every once in awhile are drifting to the windows to look at the blue sky--and you.
I feel a little like an animal in the zoo--but then I can't help but laugh at such a silly situation. And one good thing--it encourages me to get out of the house. I'm not tempted to just hang around and watch tv.
Yesterday my new best friends and I went to a park called Meadowlark Gardens. Even in the dead of winter, this is a beautiful place. We sat on some benches overlooking a lake and tried sketching the geese landing on the lake. In my drawing the geese looked like winged armadillos but that's ok, it was fun.
We sepnt a long time there, making a point to see things we neevr saw before. We made a point of listening to how many different bird songs there are. We noticed how many daffodill tips are starting to poke through the dirt--hundreds of them--something about that is so cheerful. They're signs of spring that I am suddenly seeing everywhere, even if spring is still months away.
We stopped to talk to some volunteers who were in one of the flower beds. I was a little concerned that the daffodills might get damaged by the snows that are bound to come. They said no--daffodills are tough little plants that simply adapt. They wait out the hard times and as soon as a warm breeze returns they start growing again.
Now I don't mean to get corny (and this was something I've known before now) but it was just what I needed to hear yesterday. I think spending time in a garden is a good way to process emotions.
This garden needs volunteers. The work isn't hard, and it's up to you how much you do. Volunteers get free membership and are invited to classes and parties. I'm going to try it. I think retirement is going to be ok.
We're about 7 months into retirement, and between building a new house and moving nearly 300 miles, we have our hands absolutely full. The nice thing is that a certain sense of "must get this task done RIGHT NOW" is absent. We have all the time we choose to take - when we were working, we never seemed to grasp that, and weekends were spent "catching up" instead of relaxing.
Yesterday we ignored the finish work on the house, went out and rented snowshoes and tried to get used to them. We tried cross country skiis the week before, and I think I prefer the snowshoes. We'll probably head up to Crater lake later, where the Park Service gives guided snowshoe tours.
The spouse has been having fun playing "brewmeister" and we've got our fifth batch of home-brew beer going - Wednesday nights we meet a large group of locals at a restaurant and Sunday is potluck night with a smaller group. He's been researching solar hot water, and, come spring, he's going to install that himself as an assist to the household hot water and the radiant floor.
I bought an ebook reader and am happy to be back at the 5-10 books a week reading level plus I've been tromping around measuring the garden area, drawing up plans for a retaining wall and stone patio and looking through garden catalogs. I've got my bird feeders up, and there is a species of nuthatch I still haven't IDed. There are about 10 bald eagles wintering here, and the little birds have an excellent eye for when they are coming and dive for cover. That's my cue to look up - it's usually either a bald eagle or a golden eagle.
But then, amusing myself has never been a problem, finding the time to fit it all in HAS.
I focus on reading and my dog, and, yes being free! worked 40 years. At first it is very strange, also, you can get a paid part-time job which suits your needs, and mostly you do enjoy! Yes, it is real strange, paid, to read, and walk the dog!
I will be building as well so plan to be fairly busy for the first year, I look forward to keeping a journal for at least a few days even longer maybe never been really good at that stuff. Perhaps I will write my journal on the forum similar to others, and then get their ideas of what to do next, do I slow down or do I speed up.
Reading all these posts is interesting. As one who had to go to work at age 15 to help support the family, I still have a long way to go. I never really developed hobbies other than reading and playing games. Does that count?
I never really developed hobbies other than reading and playing games. Does that count?
You should keep a journal.
If it's something you enjoy doing, it counts! And when your turn comes, you can try out all sort of things you never had time for before. Love the journal idea, one of these days I'll get one started.
Right now I'm working on a book. Got the idea from the Virginia forum--a couple of people were complaining that they couldn't find good outdoor places to do some people watching. I posted a few ideas... and then an hour later some more ideas... and then a few hours later I thought of some even better idas... and by the next day I had an incredible list. So I decided to put it together and illustrate it... and maybe I can even get it published. (If not, I'll at least have something interesting to give the grandkids.)
So good to hear because I am retiring April 1. What I look forward to most until I decide more about how to spend my time, is not RUSHING anymore, not having to PUSH myself anymore. Can walk/work out when I WANT to. After that, we'll see.
A friend of mine sorts cards for Menards. She is able to work 24 hours a month (says the pay isn't bad at all) and show-up time is totally of her own choosing. They say many babyboomers are retiring so there should be a lot of need for small jobs like this. Bottom line: You can pick and choose. The world is your oyster.
It's only been 4 days!! Give it a while and the novelty of retirement will wear off. There will be days when you're bored to death with the winter months being the worst. When I retired, I realized that I missed the routine of getting up and doing something for 8 - 10 hours and I missed the people I worked with.
I tend to visit the library quite a bit and in the first year of retirement, I read more books than I had read in the last ten years. Good luck to you.
It's funny--I just got a rep point for this thread today, almost 2 1/2 years after I started this thread. So I thought I'd check in and say hello. FWIW, I'm enjoying retirement so far and the novelty hasn't worn off yet. I do a lot less, I suppose, but I do all kinds of things that I never had time for before. When something becomes a drag, I can just walk away and not even think twice about it. Life is good. Just thought I'd post a note about how it turned out now that I'm well into my retirement.
And here I was expecting to see another old thread revived by a newbie and it's you! LMAO!!
It's great to know you're still enjoying yourself. Me, I just decided (with Mrs. Tek) that I'm done July 1st. I am looking forward to it.
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But I have 713 more days to go....
Day Four of Retirement
