Retirement is hog heaven . . .
A friend of mine, Stef, said it took her about two years to “settle into herself” after retirement. I believe it!
People wonder how you fill your day before you retire. The truth is, you just do. Sometimes you fill it with activities, and other days you sit down and do not a lot more than loll. For me, being goal-oriented, I feel like I must accomplish something (what is that something??), but I also am quite capable of just doing nothing. Rushing to do things takes away from time to listen to that inner voice of the self which provides insight, calm, and direction. I know I need both.
Oddly, I find I need the company of others more than I used to as well! At work, I always had someone in my face – a student, colleague, whatever – or something to be done – attendance, paperwork, class prep. Now, there are me, my husband, and the dogs for regular company, which, at times, is not enough. Given my desire for other people, I talk to friends and family, connect for lunch, go for hikes. I am in a few Meetup groups and have one of my own, which has been dormant for about a year – time to resurrect it.
Now, I have things to do, places to go, and people to see. Choices need to be made and sifted through daily as to the “agenda.” I have some things I have settled into as routine – getting up, cleaning up myself and the dishes, editing a daily photo in black and white for my 365 Silent Project (missed it a few times). At times there are appointments or pre-planned activities. I want to paint or draw daily, but that has been a bit – haha – sketchy of late. I like to watch about an hour of TV at night before going to bed.
The key word here is value. What is valuable to me today? What is worth my time and attention? Retirement is an adventure that is shaking up a lot of my ideas and solidifying others – and it is fun and tedious at the same time.
Ink, Yarn & Beer 