Enough people have asked me some form of the question “Are you enjoying retirement?” that I figured I’d check in here, a little over half a year after I left the work world.
The answer to the question is, of course, “Are you kidding me?”
While retirement hasn’t been—so far, at least—the anticipated carousel of restaurants, parties and world travel, it has definitely been a good time, and I feel like I’m just getting warmed up. I can honestly report to you that there hasn’t been a single day since last July 1 when I’ve gotten up in the morning and thought, “gee, I wish I could go to work today.”
Basically, it’s been seven and a half months of taking it easy.
When I retired, I fully expected to find some new activities to fill my days—perhaps some volunteer work, a new hobby or even a part-time job if the right situation came up. But, after four-plus decades of working for other people, I also intended to take some restoration time for myself—six months, a year, maybe more—when I wouldn’t need to worry about being useful to the outside world.
My plans included lots of reading, getting myself back in shape and doing some writing of various kinds. I’ve done pretty well on the reading part; I’ve upped my annual goal to 31 books from 25, and I’m also doing better about reading more news. And despite a few setbacks, I’m settling into a fairly regular exercise routine. A minor foot problem kept me from running for a couple of months (and then crappy weather stalled me some more—at my age I will politely decline to run when there’s any chance of ice on the ground, and we’ve had plenty of ice the last few weeks). But thanks to Medicare perks, I’ve been able to go to the YMCA and swim laps several times a week, resuming an activity that dominated my life from fifth grade through college.
As for writing, well, that’s taking a little longer. As an obvious, glaring example, I would ideally like to be writing in this blog about once a week … but this is just the fifth post I’ve put up since I turned in my key at the office at the end of last June. I’ve always been a master procrastinator, so it takes me a long time to get to the point where I can click on “publish.” Along the way, a lot of posts become obsolete before I finish them; for instance, if I’d finished my planned Shoulblog endorsement before November’s election, human history would undoubtedly be on a much better path right now. The post you’re currently reading, in fact, was originally planned for January 1—the half-year point of my retirement—but I’m only getting around to finalizing it now.
I also want to be back in the habit of writing regular emails to friends, congressmen, etc., but that impulse hasn’t really gotten off the ground yet. And I want to be writing some fiction—I always tell myself I’ll write a first draft of a short story every month. That goal, though, is still stuck at the starting gate.
The one thing that gives me the most joy, though, is the opportunity to spend time with my granddaughter, Berkley, who, as I write this, is 11 months old. We generally watch her about one day a week and it’s an absolute delight to watch her grow up. She’s also an excellent conversationalist.
Anyway, this retirement gig is just six—er, seven and a half—months old, and I’m still finding my way. I’m planning to stretch out this period of my life as long as can, and I’m sure there’s still a lot to learn.
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credit for top photo: Harry Brewer on Unsplash
