Retirement is not without Hassles: What day is it? #38

I spent Sunday writing posts about sports under my “Old Sport Shorts” moniker.  I try to maintain balance between retirement issues and my love of sports, but many hours of watching games at Buffalo Wild Wings this weekend threw off that balance.  I was not even sure what day it was, as Friday transitioned seamlessly into Saturday,  with me sitting at the same table, although with different company each day. I got  a little shot of college life with a former co-worker and his son on Friday and some time with my fellow retirees on Saturday.  I ended the weekend mostly alone writing, watching the women’s NCAA championship, Cubs vs. Cards opening night baseball, and Portland Timbers  soccer. As a result of my sports weekend, I missed out on the new “Beauty and the Beast” movie and shopping.  I did spend some time with my wife and the dogs each morning, but essentially it was a weekend with the boys.

I can’t say it was a fruitful sports weekend since all my teams lost. but I did enjoy the pretzels, beer, and companionship.  If I were going to work this morning, there would be plenty to talk about around the “water cooler,”   Instead, I’m sitting here watching the movie “Passengers” that my wife rented over the weekend to occupy some of her loneliness while I was in “Sports World.

This Monday morning is about as busy as it’s been in retirement.  I have to take my wife’s car to the Oregon DMV for license plate renewal tests, drop some paperwork off at the doctor’s office, visit the chiropractor for an adjustment, and take the dogs to the vet.  I also have a meeting with an illustrator about collaborating on a a children’s book. That’s five things in one day!  One thing is usually my limit.  I also have a honey-do list of ordering tickets, upholstery, and plantation shutters.  I was able to get the knives sharpened over the weekend, utilizing a mobile service that came to our home.  I am a bit “in the doghouse,” agreeing to going to a college baseball game on Tuesday night instead of cooking.  My wife had already bought all the ingredients, and seemed a bit disappointed in my choice of ball park over kitchen.  After all, I’m planning on also being at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night for a game against the Padres.  She will be stuck with two days of business meetings while I play.  I’m not putting any points in the Love Bank, just withdrawals.

I do like the fact that I’m keeping busy, active and hassle-free.   My wife has also mentioned how much happier I seem to be in retirement.  I think it’s just relative, since I was miserable my last five years of work.  I’ve finally arrived at the stage of life that allows me to basically do what I want.  However, I still remain cautious about upsetting the working wife by giving the impression that I’m not contributing to the household in the process.  I didn’t write down a couple of her repair “recommendations” on Friday, and was reminded of my lack of productivity.  She probably isn’t aware of how productive I’ve been on writing.

Here’s a little poem to get you off to a thoughtful start this week:

Time

The older we get,
The faster time goes by.
We can’t slow things down,
No matter how we try.
.
The clock keeps on ticking,
You can’t make it stop.
The countdown of life,
Continues to drop.
.
We can spring forward,
Or even fall back.
Leap an extra day,
And be on a fast track.
.
Time can fly by,
Or wait seemingly forever.
So until it’s over,
Never say never.
.
You can have no time,
Or plenty it seems.
But whatever you do,
Make time for dreams.
.
We can take our time,
Even have it on our side.
Avoid running out of it,
Or those dreams have died.
.
You can start a timer,
Manage a time table.
But it can’t be bottled,
With a time sensitive label.
.
You can believe in Time Travel,
Or the way-back machine.
You just can’t go back,
To being a teen.

.

You can’t buy it, steal it,
Or save it for later.
For extra time together,
No gift is greater.

.

We can waste time,
Even try to kill it.
And watch it pass by,
But – still – it will never sit.
.
You can carry a time piece,
Glance at your wrist.
But any time wasted,
Is also time missed.
.

Copyright 2010 johnstonwrites.com