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I've gotten to know the younger woman at the gas station/store & am enjoying having honorary daughters. I never had the time to spend just relaxing & talking before.
Sleeping late but getting up in time to do the lunch special somewhere. Actually having TIME to eat lunch! Not that I eat out that often but it's fun to go to the local Indian place for a great curry at a cheap luncheon price and just...take...your...time.
Getting to spend so much one on one time with my youngest Grandson and his brother after school. My husband's brother was dying of cancer and he was able to stay with him till he died.
Now that I have more time available, that news has somehow spread among the 21-year-old Miss Nude USA contestants and they've been ringing my doorbell non-stop. I had to install one of those "take a number" things at my front door.
Retirement gives one so much freedom. Without the constraint of work, there are unlimited activities which one can pursue. Forest Gump's mother word, " life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get" now resonates so strongly with me.
Shortly after retiring, I was quite excited about getting a nursing degree so that I could join my sisters and brothers in their annual medical missions. I gave up on this idea after learning that many science courses I took years ago could not be applied towards the degree (I believe that there was something like 10 years limit).
I decided just to do all things that I have enjoyed doing: working on the house, learning how to fix/tackle more challenging repairs on the plane, the car, the furnace system and the snow blower when they unexpectedly developed problems. I was more thrilled about learning new mechanical/electrical things than saving several Ks by DIY in my first year of retirement.
Late last winter, with no rowing and limited flying time (my co-pilot husband was rendered semi-immobile with sciatica problem), I decided to join a bird club. My husband introduced me to birding many years ago when we did a lot of hiking/camping in National Parks.
We have not done any serious birding for over 35 years. Getting back to birding was not on my to-do list in retirement. I was hooked again after the first field trip (the most exciting thing was to see almost 20 blue birds in one hike). For the last few months, it's total immersion in learning all about birds. I bought dozens of field guides, birding books/videos/audios. I also visit many online birding sites taking quizzes, reading birding blogs besides attending nature lectures/seminars. There are just so many things to learn and to see. I now set a new goal to be able to recognize common birds just by impression and ears instead of seeing them clearly through the binoculars. It may take me years to get there ;-). Hey, if I become good at this birding stuff, maybe I can get a part-time job as a naturalist or a park ranger.
Since life is like a box of chocolate, I am now comtemplating a potential new hobby after watching the film "A Year In Burgundy" about grape growing and wine making in Burgundy last night. I decided to watch the film after viewing a potential relocated home in the Snake River Valley in Idaho. I was interested in the home mainly for its architectural design. I was curious about the subject after reading the description that the house located in the wine country region with acreage for a vineyard.
In few weeks, we will check out several potential homes in Washington and Idaho. If we love the house in the Snake River Valley, we may buy it and I may become a vineyard owner ;-)
It's fun to imagine having a new career, being an expert in a completely new field. I am just having fun with my imagination and enjoying the learning process. There are no pressure or deadlines to achieve my goals. I can raise, lower any goals or abandon them all together if I find something more interesting. Is it wonderful that we have this kind of freedom in retirement?
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