Time in Retirement

I have reached that time of my life where "things slow down", and, "you have time". Well, in some respects, that is the case. This year I entered the world of retired persons. Sounds easy, doesn't it? To some extent, I do enjoy a shower pace, but things still need to get accomplished.

As I have often said to others, "I don't idle well". That more than likely is a product of my work habits as a 40 plus year career as a retail manager. There is always something to do, always someone to take care of, always issues to take under my wing. When I called it quits, it was in the spring and what happened was I missed the busy season in the hardware business. What that allowed me to do was to actually get spring things done outside of our home that needed to get done in the spring, and not get dragged out through the end of July. That is something My Beloved hopefully appreciates; things not put off, especially outside chores.

What is true; I don't idle well. I find it difficult to "sit and relax". I see things that I want to accomplish, tasks that have been put off too long, for as a retail manager, my short work weeks were a minimum of fifty hours. When you add it travel time, that creeps it up to over sixty hours, (I haven't worked within thirty minutes travel time of my home in twenty-five years). I am generally always looking for something to do whether it is home tasks, an art project or, what is calling to me lately, a return to writing and finishing off a book.

I tend to be a creative person, not that what I do or create is any better than what anyone else can do, however keeping on that horse also means getting better at that craft. One of the problems with letting things lapse, whether it is drawing and painting, or writing is the techniques begin to fade. To keep up, one must stay on one's game. That is one of the things I look to reignite in retirement is all those things I have let fall away due to the work-a-day world.

But let me also be clear, the work I have done to pay the bills over my lifetime is what has made me who I am, though hopefully, I ma more than the sum of my professional career. But since my work-life was one of specialty service to others, it has taught me many things, and that is hopefully something I don't lose as I now count myself among the retirement generation.

What I do hope is those habits of helping others through my career stay with me and keep me on track as a partner, father and grandfather.

One other thing, I will no longer use my old blog to put forth my thoughts on life and the world. I have let it lapse, though it was a good tool for writing and a link to my deceased brother Donald who was a strong voice in the blog, it is time to put that aside. What thoughts I have or chose to put forward will come from this page.

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