Well, it’s now mid-May, and I’ve been in charge of my own routine for a little over four months. To begin with, four months is not very long. When I contemplate the passage of four months while working, it seemed to go by in a flash. Retirement has not been dramatically different in that regard. I do agree with most retirees in the sentiment, “how did I every get all this stuff done while working full time?” What I have found, however, is that I’m putting more into getting the “stuff done.” In other words, I find I’m being more thoughtful, more “present,” and more thorough. Plus, I am getting different other things done. For example, I’m spending much more time on relationships and connecting with others. The number of personal phone calls and conversations in which I’ve been engaged has increased exponentially since I retired. This is all good, and I intend to expand it even further in the months ahead.
In terms of the past month or so, while I still miss interacting with some of my former work colleagues, the “void” created due to the absence of such interactions is growing smaller, in part due to my efforts to expand my social contacts and to deepen the relationship with those I already have. I found the recent New York Times article entitled “The Secrets of Lasting Friendships” by David Brooks to be particularly interesting. I think you might, too.
As we gradually slog back to normal life [following COVID], this might be the moment to take a friendship inventory, and to be aggressively friendly.
David Brooks
In addition, I’ve had a chance to go back and look at my Get-a-Life Tree to assess how I’m doing in terms of working towards, and on, the things I value. As stated in an earlier blog, I am now volunteering more, cooking more, reading more, and looking daily for a way I can help someone else. We have also enjoyed two trips (journaled in prior blog entries) so I’m getting my travel “fix.” We have additional trips scheduled for 2022 and for 2023 so I’m pleased with the way our schedules are coming together in terms of a balance of lake time, travel time, family time, and together time. I am also journaling at the end of each day to assess progress in my retirement journey. I find this practice very, very helpful to reinforce the things I most value and to identify those things that are simply not a priority for me going forward. I also find it’s a good way to keep the “me time/she time/we time” framework in mind as I move from day-to-day. While I could have simply started with a blank piece of paper, I’ve chosen to use the template provided by the “Daily Stoic Journal” as a framework for my thoughts.
If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.
Anne Bradstreet
And, of course, the weather has finally turned more pleasant. On a lake property, as everywhere, this leads to a great deal of clean-up, gardening, and yard work. In the last two months, I have exercised an average of 45 minutes per day and walked an average of over 13,000 steps per day. My next objective is to be better at overall fitness by focusing on stretching, weight training, and more consistent cardiovascular workouts.
Finally, in terms of mental fitness, I continue to take Continuing Legal Education courses, participate in the Minnesota Naturalist Program, read books and periodicals, probably at a rate greater than achieved while working, and play games with my spouse and family. As an aside, I think playing games with my family falls into the category of doing something good for others as I’m sure they get pleasure out of winning such games on a regular basis! In addition, I continue to look for ways to engage my brain through the hobbies I participate in. I also continue to research travel destinations and opportunities, the concept of aging gracefully, the work of the ancient philosophers, and foreign affairs.
In closing, at this juncture, I feel pretty good about how retirement is progressing. I feel the advance planning has helped, and that my focus on the social, physical, and mental aspects of this life-change have paid off. If you want to learn more about my transition, give me a call. I’m always looking to deepen friendships! ?
A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one’s neighbor — such is my idea of happiness.
Leo Tolstoy