Monthly Archives: June 2011

It’s funny. The one question that I keep getting when I tell people that I am retired is “what are you going to do?”. I don’t have a good answer. There are a lot of things that I would like to do, but I’m not sure that I’m actually going to do them. Some of them cost too much money, some of them take too much time, others require years of preparation and changes in my life that aren’t easy to accomplish. I feel strange talking about those things because I know that I probably won’t do a lot of them and if I do accomplish some, it may not be for years. And, well, right now I am just too darn busy (!!!!) to get to many of those items. I’m beginning to wonder how I ever managed to remain sane with two of us working and our preference to never hire out help around the house. No wonder I was tired and cranky a lot of the time.

The more I think about this, the more I realize that it’s not so much what I am going to do, but what I am trying to accomplish. Goals and actions are quite different. I’m working toward very high level goals – and the actions that are necessary to achieve those goals are merely a byproduct.

• Spend more time with family and friends – Also known as the “no hermit” rule. Unless I can’t actually do something I plan on accepting every invitation that comes my way.
• Work only with people I respect and trust – Over time, I plan on doing a little consulting for “toy money”. I will only take on assignments with people I genuinely like working with and who I trust.
• Stay healthy and fit – Good whole foods comprised mostly of fruits, veggies, nuts and grains. Exercise – and lots of it. This might not be a structured program anymore, but whatever seems like fun at the time. Hiking, biking, kayaking, volleyball, weight training and so on. The number on the scale doesn’t really matter as long as I feel good.
• Become more aware of the world around me – In other words, continue to learn. This touches everything. I’ve started a list of all of the different varieties of birds that I see in my yard. I’m reading a lot more classic literature. I’m learning more about other people’s political biases that I had previously dismissed.
• Bring creativity and fun to what I do – You can never have too much fun – and every task no matter how mundane can be filled with creativity. Check out this fruit bowl that I made over the weekend. I could have just chopped up some fruit for a party that I was going to, but instead I spent part of my day learning how to make something that would delight the eye.

The thing that I like best about my goals is that even if I do a little bit more than I did in the past, I will consider myself successful. If I pick something like “hike the Appalacian Trail” (which quite frankly I would like to do, but it is just not feasible right now) and I don’t get to it, I’ll feel like a failure. In my work life I always thought that very specific goals were most important because they gave me something to shoot for. In my retired life – it’s just the opposite. The joy is in the journey. I’m picking goals that bring more joy to my life and less “gotta accomplish this” stress. How refreshing!