I’ve been rehearsing retirement these last few months. In saying that, I have been working; in the home, helping out on the farm and project managing a renovation. I guess I have never acknowledged these things as work. Mind you, I don’t get paid for any of those jobs (where payment for work creates the differentiation between them).
On my Home page, I referred to a set of goals that I hoped to achieve by creating this website. I was going to ‘document the transition from work to retirement’ and this is how it is looking thus far.
Achieving some of my goals
In the early stages of my break from my work, I commented that I felt somewhat aimless and lost. Apart from the occasional notion that my days appear unstructured, for the most part, I feel an intense state of joy, happiness, and glee all in one. I am working towards achieving what I set out to do. For instance, this week I have:
- consulted with a dermatologist, had a skin biopsy and commenced a short treatment of Efudix
- escorted farm machinery to another farm 50 km away
- accepted invitations from people to go for a walk and play tennis
- accepted invitation to meet in the park for birthday lunch
- completed a final inspection of our rental before handing the keys in
- rode 56 km on my bike along quiet country roads
- read some excellent books No Self, No Problem: How Neuropsychology is Catching Up to Buddhism by Chris Neibauer
- listened to a podcast How to Find a New Spiritual Awakening During the Pandemic with Oprah and Eckhart Tolle
- listened to an interview with Marian Keyes on ABC’s Conversations
- liaised with a series of tradesmen (yes, they are all male) as they completed renovations on our city house
- worked with the local men’s shed to implement a COVID19 Safety Plan, put up a poster and helped sanitise the facility
- kept house, prepared and cooked all meals for the farmer and his helper
On reflection, I am pretty stoked with what I have done. It is seeding time too and the farmer and his helper are away most of the day. I have the time and the space to make good, healthy choices.
How is your week looking?