Howling

I know for you it is Monday; but it is Friday as I write this posting. February 21^st. The wind is howling at 30 miles an hour with gusts to 45 and more. Snow is being squeezed and pulled from passing clouds so we have a dusting of snow that is swirling all about us. Yesterday’s 50-degree weather, rain, thunder storms and wind, made mush of 2 feet of snow and plow piles of 6 feet. Flood advisories are a constant.

In short this is miserable weather to be out and about in. And so I sit here in a warm kitchen at the keyboard of the computer watching the weather world outside my sliding glass, well insulated patio door. And I remember the days I commuted in this stuff, on foot, on bicycle and on train. Dressed for the Arctic north, too!  Luckily I worked for a University and fashion was rarely an issue, especially when urban guerrilla climate conditions prevailed.

So here I am. Safe. Warm. Indoors.  Retired.

Perhaps I need to stress that last word: r-e-t-i-r-e-d.

It’s not like I have nothing to do. I keep myself pretty busy. But every now and then a golden day of rest magically happens on the calendar. And today is one. Not one thing is on the calendar. No meetings to attend. No public events to cover for the newspaper. No family gatherings to attend. No park board meetings, or chamber of commerce sessions. Not even grocery shopping. No sir. Finished reading a novel yesterday and began a new one this morning. So, get out the garbage for the collectors, sit back and read the book. Take a nap. Contemplate the world and…….

Retired. A time to refresh the body and mind. A time to focus on things put off over the past 50 years. A time to rethink what I want to do. What do I do now? What should I do with my time, energy and accumulated knowledge? 

This is a performance review of sorts. Here is what I've done with my retirement so far during the past 5 years.

• Assessed the state of the arts in town; helped create a volunteer arts organization to educate the public on arts, encourage new artists to emerge, and support established artists in their growth and creative journey. We sponsor exhibits, classes and concerts.
• Continued to support a long-time interest and commitment in the Chamber of Commerce. We help struggling local businesses, and support new business ventures. Overall we endeavor to strengthen our local economies for the public good.
• Joined the board of commissioners of the local Park District. Helped them mature their strategic planning process and focused the district’s efforts on professional development of the district’s services to the taxpayers. The agency recently received an award of excellence for all we do from its professional peers. This indicates we have achieved the pinnacle of success; now we must consider how to best use this strength.
• Co-founded our local newspaper. All volunteer and non-profit. I am a columnist and beat reporter for the paper. I am also the managing editor and supervise 32 volunteers. Rocky and I also distribute the paper to 33 drop off points and to two post offices. Most of our circulation is delivered by post offices.
• Involved with our local church. Sing liturgy, serve as lector and support the occasional gigs of the choir once or twice a year. Serve on the Worship Committee and plan services year round. Support the pastor in stressful times so the small church is all it can be to its parishioners and community.
• Created this blog and write and post nearly every day.
• Read to my granddaughters every Saturday morning.
• Attend AA meetings twice a week and provide support and nurture to fellow members who may be struggling.

There are no competitions or award ceremonies for retirees. Just life. Just the pleasure of doing what you want to do with your time. Oh, and relearning how to live on scare financial resources! And health, of course. Every day we learn how to live on the least. And you know what? It’s pretty luxurious just the way it is. Lush and comfortable. Plenty of food (just not the desired menu!), time to sleep and nap (lots of opportunities!) and good enough health to stand, walk, sit and function properly most of the time.

So what’s to complain about? On a personal basis, nothing. On a national and global basis, plenty!

Yes, that’s the source of my blog. National and global issues are a special interest of mine and so I write about them. I research them and read constantly about the issues. And of course opinions are formed and that’s what I write about. It is a mental health therapy of sorts. Of course my ramblings may just cause others to have their own mental health emergencies, but then that’s their issue to manage. I found a way to manage mine!

And that’s retirement in the year 2014. Not at all bad. Not all good, either, but good enough to make it very worth while.

And before I close, a Huge Happy Birthday to my mother. She is 100 years old this very day!  Cheers, Mom!

February 24, 2014