Well, here I am one month on into retirement, with the ever-captivating Diane set to join me in 3 more weeks. People ask me "How do you feel about retirement so far?" And my answer is uniformly "I'm ecstatic about it!" About what, particularly?
Well, for one, I have gotten out of the house more in one month than perhaps in the entire previous six months (which, in itself, has been a goal of sorts). I'm outside walking 6 days a week, and off to either the gym for strength training (Tu,Th,Sa) or to pickleball (Mo,We,Fr) In addition to those, there is volunteering for an organization that helps the homeless on Wednesday afternoons, and then trivia with Jimmy & Allegra on Wednesday nights, plus of course church and life group on Sundays and also a men's group on Tuesdays. One of my goals is to have more social interaction, in an attempt to stave off becoming an old codger who just sits in front of the TV and grouses. So far, so good on that score!
Other items in my schedule that are done at home are time for devotions, for writing (like this), for reading, for German language lessons and for sorting through boxes of books and papers to determine what to pitch and what to keep (and where to put the latter). Then, of course, there are grapevines to tend and wine to make. Perhaps some music as well...
I may have filled up the schedule a little quickly, but I certainly don't want to waste time in retirement; I probably do need to remember to stay flexible about when I do what, so that I can make room in my calendar for the spontaneous, and be able to say "yes" to it.
The other cool thing that happened almost daily during month one is a new screened porch off my den on the lower level. A bug free, shaded area that this insect-averse troll can enjoy without getting fidgety. The last bit of work happened just this morning, and now there's a new happy space for me!
So, retirement? Yeah. So far, it's all I hoped it would be, with much more to come.
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