Opportunistic tumbleweed 4


Frank enjoying retirement, in the bath with trumpetFollowing 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!

 


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4 thoughts on “Opportunistic tumbleweed

  • Amy Cousineau

    Thanks Frank. Your article is beautifully written! ” Free time” is such a temptation to let our lives fill themselves with things we might not choose if forced to set priorities. But it’s nice to see where that takes us!

    • Frank Laytner

      Thanks Amy, I’m glad you enjoyed my blog. All my the priorities that I had forced upon myself either for work or taking care of my family are no longer valid in my retirement. I guess that right now my priorities are of a much more personal nature and definitely lack the urgency of those prior to retirement. It is more than a little strange to be focused on soft priorities and my own interests. I’ll be back blogging in three months’ time and we’ll see the effect of my new soft focus.

    • Frank Laytner

      The freedom to choose is perhaps the best thing about retirement. I still get some niggling feelings about doing something more “worthwhile” and not “wasting” my life, but fortunately I’m just too busy to give it much thought. It may surface during the long winter nights for some serious consideration, but until then I’ll continue to go where the wind blows me.