Yesterday an article pointed out to me that retirement is a bigger change than getting married and having a family. Well, that certainly seems real to me. It is huge. So I decided to enter a new relationship just before retirement. And a couple of years into that we each retired! Wow, if one problem isn’t enough, get two!
So now at four in the morning I’m laying awake thinking….. what about? Nothing is specific, the thousands of things that didn’t get done at work before I left? No… not that. My mind is occupied with the millions of things that I want to learn about and do. Travelling and holidaying on beach are a part of it, but not my main focus. What I want to do is be better at building relationships, be able to speak more deliberately and clearly, learn to play squash, pickleball, and dance, walk the valley in each of the seasons, become a writer, a photographer and videographer, learn a second language, dig about in the yard growing things, pick berries, make preserves, cook exotic meals, indulge in fine fare, put photo albums together, decorate the house, and create a warm and inviting atmosphere in which family and friends will feel welcome. I want to learn how to use technology effectively, how to tell stories, to collect stories from others, and to enjoy doing each of the things I do.
I never think of money that will be needed to do anything. I just feel that the means will be there if the desire is. This may be an optimistic view, but somehow it has worked for me up to this point. A part of that may be that I often try to make do with what I have and just improve things from there. I have never thought of my projects and interests as work, but as activities that bring joy to my day.
And now that I have time to do these things, I am exploding with excitement to actually do them. This is renewal for me, time to be creative. Perhaps when we have a society that is more automated and requires less work time from each of the citizens, we can explode the world with creativity. Nice!
October 23, 2018