Quality of Life

Some people fear retirement years with trepidation. They worry about what they will do when they no longer have to get up and go to work. My own retirement happened six months ago, and now I am beginning to understand what some of my friends said about being busier in retirement than when they were working. Initially, I avoided assuming too many new activities. With writing and singing in the choir, my days are quite full. Travel and sewing will have to take a back seat for now. All in due course.

These days I am grateful for the sun, the park and lake and for friends and family. Quality of life is very important. Perhaps in the hustle and bustle of my 48 year teaching career and rearing our two children, I did not often take the time to slow down and savor each of life’s moments. Now I do. I wonder why we don’t take more time for ourselves, for hobbies and leisure pursuits? As I told my students many times: we all have the same 24 hours per day.

If I feel like taking a break, I do. Life is too short. Music now takes a big chunk of my time with rehearsals and singing at funerals as well as regular weekly occasions. I have also learned to be gentle with myself too. If I don’t accomplish everything I set out to do, it is ok to put it off for another day and time. No one is observing me, grading me or telling me what to do and when. When our children were young, our daughter would sometimes be indignant when I told her to do something she didn’t feel like doing. She would adamantly utter: “Hmmpf. You’re not the boss of me.” I smiled inwardly when she was so eloquent at such an early age.

This week I will share with you some photos by the lake as we walked there when it was warmer than normal. Overnight, it seems the ice cover on the lake melted so that the eerie shot of log seemingly on top of the water (it was on the ice) had disappeared and the ice along with it. Nature is alive now with swarms of Canada geese returning. Some ash trees were felled due to an infestation of the emerald ash borer beetle. I was sad to see them disappear and the shade they afforded as well. New trees will soon be planted in their place.

Life is good. I am satisfied with my lot. It is time to smell those roses now. And music soothes the soul.