Opportunistic tumbleweed 4

Following Frank into Retirement – 9 months into it

November 2015

A series of articles starting 5 months from retirement and into retirement

By Frank

So it’s been three months since I last reported in. Time, which already had been marching by, has picked up its heels and sprinted.  At this rate I’ll be 95 years old in a blink of an eye.  As I mentioned in my June blog, Suzanne and I had a very busy schedule of fun and travel from July to September.  What I didn’t know at the time was that much of our unplanned time would be used for more socializing both at home and away.  In this respect, we are our own worst enemies.  We could have kept some days free to enjoy some quiet time at our home retreat.  Instead, at every opportunity, we happily jumped in our car to go visiting or invited people to our home.  We could do it, we wanted to do it, and so we did.

Grounded

Constant motion does have its drawbacks.  Activities in which I was engaged prior to this summer were totally abandoned.  My pipes and French horn gathered dust. Our forest trails grew over.  My cycling ended with the completion of my bike trip in mid-August.  Of course any task such as cutting the grass, roofing the shed, splitting wood or gardening was totally ignored.  Just as it was our choice to run around like a couple of chickens with their heads cut off, I have now suggested to Suzanne that for the month of October we should stick close to home.  I’m not tired of seeing people we love and spending time with them, but I miss hanging out at home.

Fall is in the air

Today had a definite feel of autumn.  I love this season – crisp days, cool nights, sharp contrast light, and, of course, falling leaves.  In years past, this was usually a busy time at work with lots of travel.  Now that I’ve grounded myself for the month of October, I can get down to the business of seriously frisking around our property at this special time of year.  The orange, red and yellow leaves provide a striking contrast to the dark green needles and make each walk a spiritual experience for me.  I find that working outside is now more enjoyable because it is cooler and there are no bugs.  So it’s time to split that wood, roof that shed, and light those bonfires. Even sleeping is better now with longer nights, flannel sheets, heavy comforter and cold night air.  One more weekend away and then I will hunker down for my own version of Octoberfest.

Lessons learned

The past three months were totally different from the previous three months which were different again from the first three months of my retirement.  I think it is important for me to keep an open mind about retirement expectations and “go with the flow” until either our life has developed a pattern or we live happily in chaos.  Fantastically, it is our choice to make every step of the way.  I’ll be checking in again in three months to share any new insights as well as to revisit some of my personal bugaboos such as money, my “I should” list, and other things that go bump in the night.  In the meantime, have a great fall season and get outside!