Well, I’m convinced retirement is the way to go. Or at least if it’s anything like the way I spent the last two weeks or so I had off for the Christmas holiday. It’s pronounced “no work.” No thinking about work. No answering e-mail. No job-related to-do lists. No idea if gremlins were having a big party in my office and using my computer to buy used lingerie off e-Bay.
Don’t know, don’t care, I’m at home in loungewear.
I could get used to this retirement thing … if only I knew how to do it properly, by which I mean long term and permanently. Anyone have thoughts on how a 35-year-old with retirement accounts that wouldn’t support a band of squirrels could manage it? Aside from joining the mob or selling lucrative organs on the black market, of course.
It was such a relaxing time, even with family dropping in, friends stopping by, the holidays, a 3-year-old’s birthday and a dog who assumed me being home all day meant I should spend the whole time walking her.
I would wake early in the morning before anyone was up, grab as many newspapers as I could get my hands on, make some Cuban coffee, and then prop my feet up for a little quality reading time. It would only last about 32 seconds before the dog would scratch at the door asking to be let out (nice timing, dog!). But it was an amazing 32 seconds.
I made lots of poached eggs — sometimes by the dozen. No one else in the house eats them, but it was such a rush that I just couldn’t stop myself. I would sit out on the front porch reading still more papers and drinking beer. That, too, would only last 32 seconds before the dog would scratch to go in. But again, magical while it lasted.
I had a to-do list that was as thick as a phone book, didn’t accomplish a single thing on it the whole time, and never once felt guilty or the least bit bothered. It made me realize that the best kind of to-do list is the one you don’t do.
Unfortunately it went by too quick — too fast. I miss being with my daughter all day and that the biggest decision I had to make was whether we were going to the Alligator Farm or the carousel.
“Um, how about both?” the little girl would say solving the dilemma.
I miss the grubby T-shirts, snack time of popcorn and goldfish, and the fact that teeth brushing was more or less optional … until my wife caught wind and nixed my plans. But it was liberating until then.
The highlight of one day was simply making pancakes and bacon with my family. That was it. We were together and having fun. Maybe that’s when it occurred to me that life is too much about what you’re doing and what you’re getting done, and not enough about just being together and enjoying that simple experience. We’re always in such a rush to get through life that we rarely get the chance to sit back, relax and take it all in. Those two weeks, though, were dedicated to that very simple philosophy, and it made for a memorable experience.
But now it’s back to work, and it’s a tough adjustment. I forgot how to put a belt on my first day. I mis-buttoned my shirt. I wore unmatched socks. I couldn’t even remember where my office was, not to mention what I do there. Luckily there is a sign on the door.
Gone are the early morning coffee sessions and the pancake breakfasts. Gone are the carefree days and the grubby T-shirts. Gone are the trips to the Alligator Farm and how my dog would stare at me with the kind of look that said if I didn’t take her for a walk right away she might pop or throw up.
Mighty nice it was, and I’m not totally ready to let go. So I’m adding to my to-do list a line that reads: “Remember to slow down once in a while and enjoy.” That’s something I might actually accomplish.