OK, I would like to say that I am leaving racing and multi-tasking behind me, but that's only partially true.
I've had time this week to walk and observe God's paintbrush at work. I've walked in the neighborhood, and Mike and I had a wonderful trek through the park. Whether walking in bright sunshine or under dark, heavy clouds, each tree is more beautiful than the last. Tonight when I returned from a walk, the sky turned this light pink color, and I realized that maybe I'm noticing color again after years of racing to and from work.
I noticed another interesting thing about time and pace while doing some errands mid-day during the work week. First of all, it's not very crowded. Secondly, the people don't have that harried look of people doing errands after work or on weekends. Instead they have this calm about them as if they had all the time in the world. On Tuesday I went out for a late lunch and some leisurely reading. I was eavesdropping and heard a retired couple next to me discussing else they had coming up this week, and they didn't have anything until Thursday! At another table were two women talking and drinking iced tea, and it was obvious they were enjoying some time chatting long after their lunch ended.
The flip side is that I have been attacking chores and cleaning with a vengeance. I am a woman on a mission to get rid of clutter and create wide open spaces. Mike says I "am taking over" his house. I respond saying that I am merely putting some "Diane touches" on it so it feels like my own space. We are supposed to be cleaning for an upcoming Halloween party, but I've been cleaning with a different purpose-living here! It feels great to be making progress and seeing the house with different eyes.
So, I am a bit crazy this week: racing ahead on the chores and purposely slowing down to the pace of the world around me. Or said another way, I am getting my chores done quickly so I can play! However I spin it, there are parts of my world that are slowing down, and I am truly enjoying some time and space after a lifetime of racing..
Diane
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Day 1 of the blog
Ok, this is something new for me: writing a blog. As I approached retirement, I thought it would be interesting to catalog my thoughts and experiences. Of course if all you do is just think about it, nothing happens. So after some encouragement from my niece, Diane, who is writing a blog about her pregnancy, I decided to give it a try. So here goes this new chapter...
The first thing that is noticeable is that I don't have a schedule. I get to choose what each day holds-pretty amazing after many, many years of a full schedule. And the best part is NO ALARM CLOCK to wake me up before 6 am anymore. I've loved catching up on some sleep and waking up on my own without that blasted device.
I still have my to do lists, and with trying to get a house on the market, the list is very long. But the difference now is that Mike and I choose the deadlines for these tasks. So each day we choose how much work to do and how much to play. In the past few weeks, we've had some of both. We've traveled to a studio art tour in NE Iowa which got the creative juices flowing. We had a great time visiting family and catching up again. We also hit the house stuff pretty hard. Mike is busy with the deck and siding repair, and I'm cleaning closets and bookshelves resulting in many trips to Goodwill and Half Price Books.
I also got in some great visits with my friends Kelly, and Emily and Brian. It's good to stay connected and grounded with people who have known me for awhile as I start out on this new path.
It's interesting that I don't miss work at all. I miss the people at work, but not the tasks and all the things that had been annoying me lately. I keep asking Mike if I'm doing ok, and he smiles and generally says "yes". Although I know there are still times I'm pretty intense, I feel like my spring is unwinding in a major way.
Starting my 3rd week of retirement, it's another clean slate. More house work to do, this time at Mike's house, but also some more time relaxing, exploring art and exercising is in the high level plans(not on paper yet).
So, stay tuned for the adventures that await...
Diane
The first thing that is noticeable is that I don't have a schedule. I get to choose what each day holds-pretty amazing after many, many years of a full schedule. And the best part is NO ALARM CLOCK to wake me up before 6 am anymore. I've loved catching up on some sleep and waking up on my own without that blasted device.
I still have my to do lists, and with trying to get a house on the market, the list is very long. But the difference now is that Mike and I choose the deadlines for these tasks. So each day we choose how much work to do and how much to play. In the past few weeks, we've had some of both. We've traveled to a studio art tour in NE Iowa which got the creative juices flowing. We had a great time visiting family and catching up again. We also hit the house stuff pretty hard. Mike is busy with the deck and siding repair, and I'm cleaning closets and bookshelves resulting in many trips to Goodwill and Half Price Books.
I also got in some great visits with my friends Kelly, and Emily and Brian. It's good to stay connected and grounded with people who have known me for awhile as I start out on this new path.
It's interesting that I don't miss work at all. I miss the people at work, but not the tasks and all the things that had been annoying me lately. I keep asking Mike if I'm doing ok, and he smiles and generally says "yes". Although I know there are still times I'm pretty intense, I feel like my spring is unwinding in a major way.
Starting my 3rd week of retirement, it's another clean slate. More house work to do, this time at Mike's house, but also some more time relaxing, exploring art and exercising is in the high level plans(not on paper yet).
So, stay tuned for the adventures that await...
Diane
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