It was hard to stay in bed until 6 this morning. My mind was awake, thinking about yesterday, in terms of what I “accomplished” in my self-imposed quest to “have fun” on what I count as my first real day of retirement. In those terms, I suppose yesterday was a partial success. I got out early to the gym and worked up a good sweat on the treadmill while watching morning news on the television monitors. Then after a quick shower at home, I went to the salon and read trashy magazines while I got my hair colored. Lunch at home (previously described). Practice for my Torah and Haftarah reading on January 14 – yes, I think it sounds perfect now! Then an indistinct hour or so, sitting in the living room to catch the intermittent afternoon sunshine, knitting a new scarf for Elliott. By 3:45 pm, off to the hardware store on an errand (Elliott imagines himself a plumber) before heading over to the library in Fairfax City, where I sat in a comfy chair and leafed through the latest issue of Cooks Illustrated while trying to carry on a polite conversation with a chatty Indian man.
Darkness fell shortly after 5. Elliott, Winnie (his new 3-wheel walker) and I hustled out of the library into an angry wind on our way to our dinner date. Our destination was right around the corner. Housed in a historic 1840s house in the old town, Choices by Shawn proved to be a warm, relaxed and completely satisfying restaurant on a cold winter evening. I even treated myself to a glass of wine with my meal, something I probably wouldn’t have done on a school night. To cap off our meal, we shared a mini molten chocolate cake (remember, a daily dose of chocolate maintains good health) with cherry vanilla ice cream (and calcium is an essential part of a healthy diet).
By 8 pm, I was settled down at home on the sofa, engrossed in a novel I’d picked up at the library (Honolulu by Brennert). I was paying absolutely no attention to the time, and I was surprised, when I finally put down the book, to see that it was already past ten o’clock. But since I didn’t have to wake up at any particular time, that wasn’t an issue. I quickly got ready for bed, avoiding the sink that is yet to be reassembled by Elliott, and thought I’d fall asleep immediately. But thoughts were swirling through my mind, and they resurfaced this morning in the pre-dawn hours. All of these activities from the previous day, did they qualify as fun? Is it important to schedule something for each day? It reminds me of when I’m traveling and I make daily plans – an agenda of places to go, things to see and do, where to eat, etc. For me, that’s always been part of the enjoyment of travel. But can I use this same approach to retirement? More to the point, should I?
I’ve been so goal-oriented. I’ve already been brainstorming goals for this year. Here are a few I’ve come up with so far:
do regular exercise at the gym or take a good long walk everyday,
get into a yoga routine again,
improve my Spanish language skills through lessons with a former student,
tutor boys and girls preparing for Bar or Bat Mitzvah,
work on a book about my years living in France,
cook something new every week,
explore new neighborhoods in DC,
visit friends and family in Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Chicago, San Francisco, New York, Florida,
take frequent day trips with Elliott,
do more art work (collage, painting, fused glass),
go to concerts,
read more,
take classes,
volunteer,
learn to meditate,
visit my mother more often.
Wait, there’s more. I could go back to the ice skating rink if my skates still fit. Oh, let’s not forget 8 blissful hours of sleep a night. So, that’s enough to keep me occupied. I guess that’s not what I’m really concerned about.
What I notice already is the gaping hole in the social framework of my life now that I’m not going to Annandale High everyday. Not that I don’t enjoy Elliott’s company (or my own, for that matter), but I miss the camaraderie that I found at work. I know I’ll make frequent stops at school to see my former colleagues. In fact, I plan to go in tomorrow to meet with my long-term sub, to attend a meeting with the student group I’ve been co-sponsoring, and to share my department’s lunch moment.
One friend, another teacher who retired over a year ago, offered that she’s considering joining a mah jong group. I’ve never been interested in the game although I like the look of the tiles and maybe I’d learn some Chinese? I see that a fellow ESOL teacher plays on a women’s basketball team. That would be a good idea from the dual standpoints of exercise and socializing. However, I’m a lousy basketball player (I haven’t played since high school) and I don’t particularly enjoy team sports. My friend and next-door neighbor, Anne, suggested forming a knitting group, for women from the neighborhood who are looking for an excuse to get together for a couple hours. I find knitting very relaxing, as long as I limit myself to scarf-making. But how many scarves does a person need? I know – I’ll donate the scarves! Do you think homeless shelters would take them? Or I could walk around the streets of DC distributing them to homeless people. Maybe I could send them overseas to refugee camps in cold climates.
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