I keep asking myself, “have I adapted to being mostly retired yet?” and it feels like if you have to ask the question, you haven’t really adapted. Yet today, I’m confident: I’ve adapted well. The biggest clue? I don’t dread Mondays anymore. In fact, Mondays are really just another day in a list of seven days in a week. While I am still terribly sad Darryl can’t share this with me yet, I am also determined to embrace this transition and make the most of it.
Take this week, for example. It’s going to be a much easier week. I will work about 10 hours this week. So, there is plenty of time for the rest of life this week. That likely means mowing and prep for our last big reno weekend. But still time for me to relax and enjoy. And that, folks, is what it has always been about.
As I have finally adjusted, I can honestly say that life has settled into a bit of a routine. When I first get up, I do the typical kitty care – fresh water, snacks, Meadow out for a few minutes and “hugs and snugs” all around. Then, I make my coffee. (Note to all of the cat parents out there: never make your coffee before kitty snacks. You know what I’m talking about.) But here’s what’s new about that routine: every late morning, I now clean the coffee pot, take care of the grounds and grind/set up the coffee maker for the next day. Before, I was always too rushed and I focused on doing things “just in time.” Now, I get out ahead a little bit and get annoyed if I forget to do it.
There is more to the routine here as well. It used to be I was also practicing “just in time” home management. That meant the beds got made about an hour before bedtime and dinner got prepped the same way. Today, these are done a few hours ahead of time, which leads to much more relaxed evenings. In my prior life, the dishwasher often got unloaded because there was a stack of dirty dishes ready to go in and I’m going to call this one out now: vacuuming with four cats twice a week was never enough. I now do it every other day at least and the dishes are unloaded mid-morning to get ready for the day’s additions. While incredibly mundane and not nearly the executive level tasks I did as a CEO, these are very grounding tasks for me. In so many ways, they are a simple reminder that life is different now. And different means slower, easier, softer and quieter. I never knew I needed anything that much.
While I’m adjusted, I can’t say I’ve fully assimilated my new life. For example, there are little things I try to make sure are always done: veggies chopped and whole grain pasta refrigerated for quick lunchtime salads are still “just in time”. I still – for the life of me – cannot make a full and complete grocery list. I allow myself to go to the grocery every other day now and force myself to go a day without. I’m not learning my lesson yet. 😊 However, I did abandon the idea of buying one big load of groceries once a week. I ended up composting too many fresh vegetables and stuff got lost in the refrigerator. At least with me going every other day, I am spending less and buying a targeted list. Still, I ought to be able to go every three days with no issues. Again, I’m just not there yet.
Finally, days can still get pretty busy. It’s true that you can be just as busy in retirement as you were working. But it’s also true that once you look around, take stock of everything that needs to be done and realize that you were basically phoning it in on home management for well over 10 years, you realize that home is an “opportunity rich” environment for improvement. On my list as I get around to it: clean all of our window screens, take the curtains in my office/guest bedroom to the dry cleaner, make a large pot of marinara and then can at least 6 quart jars for future use. And this is on top of what I’ve already done in six short weeks, including: removing some wood that had been piled by our driveway last fall, cleaning my car and switching out and cleaning all of the bed linens.
Quite honestly, I love this life. I love its simplicity and the sense of quiet that not only greets me everyday but also rests within me. I love not rushing through everything I do to make time for it all. I love having just the right amount of work to still feel worthwhile and contribute financially to our well-being without crushing myself in the process. I was genuinely made for this. And as Thursday marks the six-week mark of starting my new life I can confidently say that it was one of the best decisions of my life. Even more? I have adjusted.
The Yuppie Homesteader 