The business manager I used to work with wrote me a couple of days ago and asked, "So what have you been doing?" I knew she was really asking, "So has it turned out so far like you wanted?" Her question made me stop to assess.
She knew I had been worried about piddling. Well, yes, I piddle. I try to catch myself at it, hence a lecture to self like, "Hey! You've just read two pages of TripAdvisor reviews on that restaurant; you don't need to read two more. That's inertia." Or piddling.
On the other hand, I"ve accomplished some things! We had a great vacation on a white-sand Florida beach. Right now we're on another trip, 200 miles away in another part of the state. Earlier this week I filled my car with surplus household equipment I had painstakingly sorted out, and delivered it to the local Goodwill store. I have started reading some of my set-aside books (take note, Andrei Codrescu!) and have started a photography project. I have made a little progress with Spanish (I can ask, "Puedo pagar de targeta de credito?" and I can count from one to twenty). The pumpkin shrimp soup recipe I tried got a thumbs down but all the new recipes I tried using cilantro got a thumbs up. And I do time on the treadmill nearly every day while watching delightful ten- and twenty-year-old shows of "West Wing" and "Law & Order."
That's not nearly the full vision of what I hope to do in retirement, but it's certainly a start. So, dear Grace, there's your answer. So far, so good!
She knew I had been worried about piddling. Well, yes, I piddle. I try to catch myself at it, hence a lecture to self like, "Hey! You've just read two pages of TripAdvisor reviews on that restaurant; you don't need to read two more. That's inertia." Or piddling.
On the other hand, I"ve accomplished some things! We had a great vacation on a white-sand Florida beach. Right now we're on another trip, 200 miles away in another part of the state. Earlier this week I filled my car with surplus household equipment I had painstakingly sorted out, and delivered it to the local Goodwill store. I have started reading some of my set-aside books (take note, Andrei Codrescu!) and have started a photography project. I have made a little progress with Spanish (I can ask, "Puedo pagar de targeta de credito?" and I can count from one to twenty). The pumpkin shrimp soup recipe I tried got a thumbs down but all the new recipes I tried using cilantro got a thumbs up. And I do time on the treadmill nearly every day while watching delightful ten- and twenty-year-old shows of "West Wing" and "Law & Order."
That's not nearly the full vision of what I hope to do in retirement, but it's certainly a start. So, dear Grace, there's your answer. So far, so good!
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