Retirement Thoughts
I’ve been reading retirement blogs. Damn, most of them
revolve around financial planning, part-time work, volunteering, exercise, and
gardening. There’s a few that mention
arts and crafts. Some list camping,
cooking, traveling, taking online classes, etc. There was one that was all into
geocaching, it’s like treasure hunting GPS style. There’re even apps for it. Whatever
floats your boat. I think the point is to stay busy. Plus, there’s ones that want you to buy a
medical alert device, mount grab bars, and raise the toilet seat. Not all retired people need walkers, canes,
and a medical alert device.
What very few mentions, is finding a passion and doing what
makes you happy. I’m thinking that a lot
of folks retire, and they don’t have hobbies too. Sitting around and watching TV all day is
rather boring. Every once in a while, I’ll
do a Netflix binge then I’m done. My last
one was rewatching all of Stranger Things before the new season came out. That kinda did me in for several months.
Someone suggested shark cage diving…no. The same with going windsurfing…it’s a
no. I didn’t want to do it before I
retired, why would I want to do it now? Come to think of it, I’m busy
enough. I don’t mind suggestions but I’m
working my way through Skillshare and reading lots of Indie authors on Kindle Unlimited.
I might do volunteer work again, but I got burnt out on it. Most
of my life, I’ve volunteered or been the organizer. I did it mostly either because it needed to
get done or someone guilted me into it. I
just want to focus my energies someplace else.
I retired from work, not from life. There’s a part of me that sometimes
just wants to sit on a park bench or walk the beach and people watch for a while.
The things I thinking about over my morning coffee. This cup is almost done so I better finish up this post.
The photos are from yesterday's walk by the beach. A couple of years ago, that would of been a vacation activity. Now, I go on several a week. Life is all about change and attitude. I have to admit, the change in my latitude changed my attitude.
The snow and cold got to me. The lack of sunny days and the number of grey days were draining me. I know what they say, bloom where you are planted but...I disliked the Midwest for many reasons and the weather was part of it. Before we lived in this little place called Danville, Indiana, we lived in Austin. I loved Austin but it was hot, humid weather. It's typically 100 degrees in July, where as Galveston is 90 degrees with an ocean breeze. The key word being 'ocean.' That ten degrees makes a difference but both are wonderful in winter.
Every place has their pros and cons, maybe the secret is finding the place that works for you.