One Year

I have now been in retirement mode for a full year. I've been thinking about how things have been going against expectations. Much has unfolded as I thought it would, but there have also been a few surprises. Here are some thoughts on the last 12 months.

First some basics. I sleep more. A bit of a surprise. You would think that working from home for the previous five years in a job over which I had a lot of control would have allowed me to get the sleep I wanted all along. No commute, only infrequent early meetings, very few after-hours sessions. But, no. What I now realize is that just having a lot of commitments, regardless of when they fall in the calendar or during the work day, drives a lot of thinking and planning and fretting that take up a big chunk of one's awake time. The key to the extra sleep has been having way fewer things to think, plan and fret about.

Another surprising part is when the extra sleep occurs. I thought it would be during the day. You know, the famous naps on the sofa or in the hammock that are supposed to be part of the retirement shtick? Again, no. It has been just going to bed earlier and staying there longer. Having been a night owl my whole life, I was kind of looking forward to late and even late-late movie time on a regular basis. But it seldom works out that way. If I start a movie anytime after 10:00 pm I usually just fall asleep, putting me in that weird position of having to wake up to go to bed.

I also exercise more. No surprise as I now truly "have all the time there is". So working in a bike ride, brisk walk, kayaking jag or high-energy lawn-care session has been no problem. And having my Bride just about always ready and willing to join me in the exercise activity of the day has helped with the motivation. The surprise here is that I seem to like it, even those manly tussles with ornery weeds and seemingly endless grass. While I'm not really into "the burn", it does feel good to get out and make your body work, even sweat a little. And (duh) it gets easier the more you do it.

Complementing these excesses is the fact that I eat less. This started off by design last fall in yet another attempt to return to my former svelte self (way former). But unlike past efforts, this time the plan seems to be working. Ten months and 25 (fewer) pounds later, I'm still on the program which is basically just eating (and drinking :-) what I like but in measured and smaller amounts. This has caused unexpected but welcome storage space excesses and smiling faces down at the Salvation Army thrift store as bags of old "fat boy" clothes have walked the "concrete mile" (see previous post The Purge for more on this phenomenon).

If you're getting the feeling that I'm a little preoccupied with fitness these days, you've been paying attention. This was a change in awareness that I didn't see coming. For most of my working life fitness was a hobby to be worked in around other, more pressing activities like raising children, work, maintaining a household, work, traveling, and, oh yeah - work. As a result there were many programs but little success.

In retirement, it's different. Fitness is everything now. When you're old the main thing you want is to get older. To be given the time to do all those things you couldn't find the time to do when you were working. To play with all those toys you've been socking away your whole life. So for me each morning begins with a review of the fitness activities for the day. I then move to whatever chores I can't get out of, followed by fun (see my earlier post The Art of the Dawdle for more guidance in this tricky area). But fitness is definitly #1.

There have been other, less desirable changes in the fitness area that may be worth noting. I am now familiar with a much greater range of both over-the-counter and prescription drugs, and their side effects. I've also expanded my understanding of the medical procedures common to gentlemen of my demographic. Auxiliary to this new learning is a pedestrian but slowly growing grasp of medical insurance procedures (including those pertinent to Medicare). Now as I open each piece of insurance-related mail I search for those magic words - "This is Not a Bill". Whew. Another bullet dodged.

The medical challenge of aging, of no surprise I'm sure to those who have preceded me into their mid-60s, is determining what is actually a medical problem to do something about and what is just, well, that's the way your body works now. Live with it. It can all be quite confusing. Being a between-the-lines kind of guy, my pattern is usually to dash off an email to my internist with every new "discomfort" (that's a great medical term) and then do what I'm told. It's a humbling experience. But so far, so good.

One thing I failed to take into account when I retired is that most of my friends are younger and are still working. How inconsiderate. This has resulted in many potentially fun times ending with texts or emails that essentially say "no, Jimmy (or Dave or Brian or fill-in-the-blank) can't come out and play." Bummer. Good thing I'm really a closet introvert.

Another area of unanticipated change is my TV viewing habits. Having few time constraints I find myself sitting down for a half hour or so of news and ending up spending several hours surfing news channels following the hot political or social topic of the day. This is especially troublesome during the winter months on snowy or very cold days when it is difficult finding a reason to change out of my pajamas.

On the up side, I have been able to watch more Tigers games and golf tournaments than ever before. As Nancy shares these interests, that has been a lot of fun. I've even gotten her into old Star Trek TV series videos (of which I own about 600 hours). How many brides know what a Cardassian is or who is the changeling, Quark or Odo? Mine does. Sweet.

My wardrobe is certainly simpler, which has not been a surprise. I'm talking the basic retirement outfit of a tee shirt, shorts and deck shoes. Throw in the occasional polo shirt for dress up and a pair of jeans and a denim shirt for cooler days and that's about it. Things are a little more elaborate in the winter, but not much. Add a hoody and cozy slippers.

But despite life in the casual zone, somehow I haven't been moved to rid myself of all those suits, sport coats, dress slacks and shirts, and ties. My beloved ties (I think I'm one of the few that actually liked wearing ties; I always found them interesting and saw them as somewhat of an indicator of the wearer's attention to detail). My old business outfits are truly old friends with which I share many memories. And with my recent weight loss, they all fit better. So for now, they stay.

One mild surprise this past year is that I haven't made all my hoped-for progress in my hobbies. While I have had much more time to invest in these activities, I've found that screening music for my iTunes library, digitizing my slides and photos, reading all of the books on my list, improving my golf game and keeping up with the blog just take more time than I thought they would. But, eh, I'm further along on all of these endeavors than I ever have been before. So I can't really complain.

On a practical note, I do grow more thankful everyday that I have a federal pension (assuming Congress doesn't go totally over the falls). While the plan in taking a government job all along was to trade potential higher earnings for a steady paycheck, generous time off, high-quality health care and a solid pension, who knew in 1972 what a fortuitous choice that would turn out to be in the early 21st century. I owe it all to my last boss in the Army - a retired WWII tank commander and New York City party store owner named Plinio Mantone - who talked me into taking the civil service exam before I was mustered out of the service. Thank you, oh yes thank you, dear Plinio.

And one final philosophical observation. A year into retirement and away from the grind of the business world I find myself less concerned with how the world works and more accepting of the fact that it does work (my favorite book on this subject, by the way, is the Song of the Dodo by Richard Quamman).

During my working years my greatest asset (other than an easy relationship with the English language) was an ability to sort things out and turn events to my advantage. I did this mainly by learning who to listen to, paying attention, and crafting appropriate interventions when needed.

Now, I'm more content to mostly just observe, accept and enjoy how things are going, whether it's politics, relationships, sports, or any other walk of life. I work at successfully fulfilling my designated roles, of course, but also do my best to limit efforts to influence outcomes to things I really care about such as the well-being of family and friends. I like the sidelines, much more than I thought I would.

This doesn't mean I don't have opinions or won't argue a point in good company. But it does mean that I have a great respect and appreciation for the natural and spiritual forces that drive our world (including my own fortunes) and the inevitable balance they create. In other words I believe more than ever that what goes around comes around and that there is no free lunch.

Well, there you have it. My thoughts one year into retirement on how things are going. As always, comments welcome.

Grosse Pointe Charles.