I checked back through my previous posts to see if I had written about Groundhog Day. After being home for three straight days, I had the feeling that this morning was simply a repeat of yesterday and the day before. I turned my watch alarm off, got out of bed, cleaned the litter box, put some running clothes on, did some exercises, took the dogs out, ran 3.1 miles, had a fried egg for breakfast, poured a Diet Coke, kissed my wife goodbye, retreated to my home office, took a shower, and dressed for the day in my traditional retirement uniform. It will probably be the same routine for the rest of the week, and maybe the next 36 weekdays before we travel again. So far, this hasn’t gotten boring, especially since my day-to-day working routine was very similar. The only real difference was putting on a suit & tie, as opposed to blue jeans and a Columbia shirt. 

I’m surprised there were no past references to Groundhog Day in my blog. The 1993 movie, starring Bill Murray and Punxsutawney Phil, is one of my all-time favorites. Also, Groundhog Day is celebrated annually on February 2nd, followed by my Dad’s, then Mom’s birthday. I not sure how many Phil’s there have been since the tradition started in 1886, but I have only one mom & dad, unless you consider the fact that I’m adopted. My parents passed four years ago, but I still continue to honor their days and the groundhog’s. Also, after looking up the unique spelling of Punxsutawney, I’m more certain than ever that I’ve never written that name before. It’s actually a Pennsylvania borough whose name is derived from Native Unami meaning “town of the sandflies (or mosquitoes).” With all those pests around, it’s no wonder why Phil only makes limited appearances every year. 

Honestly, I can’t say that every day past noon has been exactly the same. On Monday, I took out the garbage and drove Tally to the vet to have her eye checked. Yesterday, I watched the movie “Uncle Drew,” enjoyed two Playoff baseball games, and cooked dinner. So far, today I’ve watched “A Prayer Before Dawn,” got my hair cut, and went to Starbuck’s. I had a pumpkin spice craving, so I ordered a rare Latte Grande. For variety, I’m also thinking about having the limited-time-only pumpkin spice wings for our Friday “Leadership Meeting” at Buffalo Wild Wings. This would be a drastic variation from my traditional Groundhog Day-like schedule. 

Some might call my retirement life boring, but I’m actually embracing this stint of doing nothing. After all those 8-to-5 office days, I feel like I deserve some time off. I’ve avoided anything that requires being anywhere at a specified time. This has included volunteer or part-time work that I may eventually consider as time goes on. Typically, we’re away from home one week or longer every month, an 80/20 ratio. This balance of home and away keeps the Groundhog in me from getting restless!