It’s the New Year and I’m going crazy! The irony is that I’m going crazy simply because I’m trying to stop the crazy. I just celebrated my first five years of retirement and, overall, they’ve been good years. I had a lot of pent up need to pursue hobbies and travel both of which I chased after at high speed. I think my biggest fear was that I wouldn’t live long enough to get my fill but, after five years, I think I have had more than enough of both? So my goals for the next five years of retirement include: pursuit of health, doing less/being more and spending more quality time with Paul and other friends and family. I’ve whittled down my hobbies in both quantity and quality which means fewer lists and fewer things on the lists when I make them. Now, it’s all about carrying out the plan which starts with just “cooling my jets!”
Turns out this is easy to say and excruciatingly difficult to do. I’ve committed to letting my days evolve organically with only a couple things I may, or may not, accomplish each day. Time seems to have slowed way down which is unsettling. The pandemic should be helping with this but seems to have put an even greater stop to time. This weekend I spent an inordinate amount of time riffling through scrap glass for several mosaic projects that aren’t even on my list of winter projects. A bad back has self –limited my exercise regime but I have consistently used the treadmill the past six weeks, albeit every other day at best. The holiday goodies are long gone so good food choices are “all on me” now. I want to do more cooking/baking but my time in the kitchen continues to disappoint; I put salt instead of sugar on top of my lovely squash bread yesterday. Yuck! Besides, Paul has the kitchen covered. I’m dying to sign up for a new TV streaming service but worried it might turn into an unhealthy vice plus something I’d have to get my tech savvy up to accomplish. I read three books over the long weekend and am not sure if reading represents a being or doing activity but it does mean I now have new book reviews to write sometime over the next week or two instead of the next twenty four hours.
All in all, I may be a bit uncomfortable with the new reality I am trying to manifest but, I must say, I’m a lot less manic which is a good thing; I like calm even if it’s an unusual state of mind for me. This week I’ll carry on with my pursuit of health, maybe work on another mosaic piece and plan a road trip to visit family in California. I don’t know if my “being vs. doing” meter is fully reset yet but its early days. So, what’s in your New Year’s wallet?