a new chapter looms

55 days till retirement. A new beginning. I'll finally roll over that 25 year speed bump. It'll take awhile for the job to seep from my psyche, but I'm eagerly anticipating the freedom to explore life, to accomplish projects, and who knows, even find out who I am. What am I going to do? Here's a list:

1. sit on the porch. This won't be my principal occupation, but an ample portion of time will be dedicated to watching the traffic go by, listen to the sounds of the country, and watching the hummingbirds jockey for position around the feeder.
2. Paint. I haven't painted a picture in years, so I'm anxious to see if the talent is still there. Working for a living can sure suffocate your talents. There's something about a work-a-day job that is soul destroying and it's becoming more so as time goes by and corporations are determined to squeeze the life from their employees.
3. Commerce is as old as civilization and since it seems to make the world go round, I think I'll try to generate a little cash flow from whatever talents I can put to use.
4. Travel. This really should be number one. Dorothy and I want to travel while we're still young and have the desire. A road trip out west first. When I was a kid we traveled between California and Oklahoma and my dad would never stop at all those road side attractions like the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest. Then as a father I refused to stop at those same places when my kids wanted to. But on this trip, we'll stop at every Indian village and cliff dwellers' ruins. Maybe we'll even see the world's biggest ball of twine. Then next year it's a trip to the Caribbean and after that Ireland, England, and Scotland are calling to us.
5. There's lots of remodeling projects waiting to be done. We've been working on the house for years and years and now maybe I might just finish.
6. Gardening. We'll dine on fresh vegetables every summer. The yard will be beautifully landscaped.
7. Cooking. I like to cook and now I can learn some new recipes. Ravioli. Steak with Cajun Shrimp. Maybe I'll learn to bake bread.

That is by no means an exhaustive list but I think you get the picture. It's all about realizing some dreams and taking advantage of opportunities. I may even have to change the name of this blog. I'll keep you posted with a day by day journal of retirement life.