retirement report

The third anniversary of my retirement is approaching so it's time for a report. Before I retired I was afraid that once my work life ended time would fly so fast that I would be on the way to meet my maker before I had a chance to enjoy the leisure. You know the old maxim: time flies when you're having fun. But, I was delighted to find that the opposite has happened. Time, at least in my perception of it, has slowed to an unhurried pace. One of the reasons for this is that I resist busyness. People have told me that they were reluctant to retire because they didn't know what they would do to pass the time, and a few of them have returned to work just for something to do. I don't have that problem. I can sit in the yard and watch the traffic on the highway. I don't need things to do.

So, here's how I spend my time these days:

• I'm reading a lot of books.
• I'm continuing the battle against weeds and brush. I've always had the desire to remain organic and not use herbicides, but the jungle is winning the war. So I've started using chemicals to kill out the brush that keeps cropping up year after year after I clear it away.
• I baby sit the grand kids. Although I'm worn out at the end of the day, these young'ns keep me laughing, and that's good medicine.
• I'm not painting as much as I had planned, but I took a lot of great photos while we were in St. Thomas and perhaps I'll start a new project soon.
• The pressure to continue the remodeling is building and I won't be able to resist for much longer so I'll start the next phase soon.
• I'm still learning to play the piano, in fact I can play these songs with a modicum of skill: Over the Rainbow, Danny Boy, You Lift Me Up, The Entertainer, A Wonderful World, Moon River, and Don't Worry, Be Happy. Our recent trip to St. Thomas has inspired me to pick up the guitar again and sing some of the old songs I used to enjoy.
• There a so many things that need to be done, but I have to keep reminding myself to slow down and go at a leisurely pace. Frantic activity (especially mental) is a killer.