A Perfect Day
No alarm clock jarring me out of Sleep. As I roll over, my cat is waiting for me to wake up. She wants her breakfast. The sun is starting to peak out, and the day is supposed to be beautiful. I am a morning person, and I slide into my slippers, make my way to the kitchen, turn on the coffee maker and get the cat her breakfast.
Once the coffee is ready, I snuggle into the couch for my first sip and pick up the book I am reading. The morning is my time. I glance at my phone to see if any important texts or emails came in while I was sleeping, but the truth is, most emails and texts can wait until I am ready to read and/or respond to them. I am no longer working for a company, so I am in charge of my time.
After about an hour, I put on my workout clothes and head to the gym. I always do something aerobic, 20-30 minutes on the elliptical. Today I will also focus on some upper body work. I like listening to Pandora music while I work out. I tried listening to podcasts, but the music gets me going and I feel happier.
Home for a shower and breakfast. Now I can check my email and social media sites.
Wow, where did the time go? I guess I went down a Facebook rabbit hole and it is already lunch time. I tried calling a couple of friends, but they were either busy or did not answer. I am just going to run to the store and grab some sushi for lunch.
This afternoon is my spa time. I am going to get a mani/pedi and a massage. Oh, how I love my massages. I feel so relaxed after all this pampering. Nothing like coming home from a long day at work. This Retirement stuff is good.
But it is only 3:00. What am I going to do with the rest of my day? Maybe I’ll reorganize my pantry or clean out some junk drawers. Oh yea, I did that yesterday.
I could read. That is what I will do. I will take myself to Barnes and Noble, grab a coffee and read for a bit.
Fortunately, I did make plans with some girlfriends to meet for dinner. I was getting kind of bored with all this me time.
Home by 9:00. I think I will curl up with my cat and watch a show before bedtime.
I thought this sounded like a perfect day, but would it be perfect if it repeated like this for 20 years … or more?
Now the Truth – Retirement is Evolving
My phone alarm goes off at 5:30. Without that I would not get up in time to have my coffee time and still go to the gym. Since we are talking truth, sometimes I get caught up going through my emails and suddenly I do not have time to read the book I want to read. (Why do I keep doing that?) Tomorrow I will do better.
I check the weather. It is rainy and cold, and dark. Ugh, do I really want to go to the gym at 6:30, just so I can get back and start getting ready for the Hey, Boomer show? It is a struggle most mornings. I am proud of myself when I go, but it does not always happen. Part of evolving is developing a plan, a system, that will get me the Exercise I need to live healthy into my 80’s, 90’s or beyond.
It is true that I do 20-30 minutes on the elliptical when I am there and do some weight training each time. Pandora music does make the time at the gym more pleasurable.
Show day is one of my most favorite days. I’m putting it out to the universe that I have 100’s of listeners and lots of chatter going on. I am also doing the work to make this happen. Podcast downloads are picking up. My mission is to inspire and support people in the next act of life to find new beginnings, and confront endings and transitions, and evolve into who they want to be. That mission is the fuel that keeps me motivated and keeps me going.
Along with my mission for the show, I also feel that part of my purpose is to be involved in voter issues and the democratic process. Because of the passion I feel around that, I am grateful to have the opportunity to participate in voter registration drives, to participate in legislative actions that I am made aware of, and to stay informed. When I am able to be involved, I feel like I am trying to make a difference and that is important to me.
Maybe that is what my purpose really is. To make a difference. I hope I do that with the show. I feel like I do that through my volunteer work with voter issues. I hope that I show that through the love I share with my family and friends. Making a difference in their lives by letting them know they are important to me, and they are loved.
I do try to get together with girlfriends, but not often enough. I am busy, and busy with things that I find important. All of this is part of my evolution to life after corporate work. It is not always easy. It is sometimes overwhelming. And it is evolving. That is the beautiful thing about living my Truth. It does not have to be Perfect to be Meaningful.
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