Reflections – Six Months In

Good morning, everyone! It’s now been six months since my retirement date. But, there have been so many milestones in the past twelve months that warrant mention. First, it was exactly one year ago we became full-time residents at our lake home. Plus, during the past year two of our children and their families have moved to the area in which we live, one of our children has become settled in Sweden, I turned 60 years young (a “Connoisseur of Life”), and my wife and I celebrated 30 years of marriage! Plus, we moved out of the apartment we had in St. Paul and are the proud renters of two storage units, through which we are slowly making our way to determine what goes to Whitetail Crossing, gets donated, gets moved to our house, or gets recycled in some way. Finally, I am now a certified MN Master Naturalist, have completed my Continuing Legal Education courses so I can remain a licensed attorney in the State of Minnesota, and am actively volunteering at the Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge doing maintenance work and “biology” work such as surveying the number of loons, terns and grebes on a lake via kayak to monitor wildlife populations. As to the future, we have several trips planned, several volunteer opportunities underway, and more hobbies and interests to explore!

Water …. flows on and on, and merely fills up all the places through which it flows; it does not shrink from any dangerous spot nor from any plunge, and nothing can make it lose its own essential nature. It remains true to itself under all conditions.

The I Ching, Book of Changes

So, how has the first six months of retirement gone? By all accounts (including the opinions of third parties I have asked) pretty well. We have spent a great deal of time with friends and family, made connections with new friends, made great progress on seven years of pent-up maintenance at home, made some improvements to “beautify” our property, and spent a lot of quality time together. I routinely walk 15 to 20 thousand steps per day, am eating healthier, journaling more regularly, and are greatly enjoying our new environment.

A portion of your soul has been entwined with mine, a gentle kind of togetherness, while separately we stand.

As two trees deeply rooted in separate plots of ground, while their topmost branches come together, forming a miracle of lace against the heavens.

Janet Miles, “Two Trees”

Upon coming to this point, I have made the decision to bring an end to the “Retirement Transition” category of the blog. In all honesty, it no longer feels like a transition, but my new lifestyle. So, to those of you who have been following this blog, “thank you.” You’ve given me an outlet for my thoughts during this time of transition.

Any transition serious enough to alter your definition of self will require not just small adjustments in your way of living and thinking but a full-on metamorphosis.

Martha Beck

The above decision does not mean I will stop blogging all together. I still intend to record travel, items made through Beautiful Leaf Creations, and other unique experiences, even if only for myself. I hope you find those blog entries, focused on the present and future rather than on transition, to be interesting and informative.

Gary C