I think I have discovered the whole purpose of retirement. It is not really about stopping work although that is what has certainly happened. But what leaving the job is really about is the fact that it now takes all of my energy and ability just to run my life. I once may have done twenty things in one day, but now that number is much, much reduced. And in addition, everything involves a portal when what I long for is a non-accented real live voice that I can understand with my diminished hearing.
Do yard work for an hour? Of course, but then I need to go in and sit down with a book for a while. Clean the bathroom? That may require even more time with a good book. Dinner is still mine, but I find myself looking for ways to ease and shorten the process. I used to entertain, rounding up anyone without a place to go for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, but now I am gratefully invited to my children’s homes where I bring one dish.
Where once I was in charge (or thought I was) of whatever was going on, now I am a spectator ensconced in a chair near the action. It is a relief in a way to no longer be the producer of all of life’s events. No colored eggs at Easter, no Christmas production, no making sure that everyone’s favorite food is on the Thanksgiving table.
Do not misunderstand me. I enjoyed al of l it back then. The children’s birthday party mayhem, the many faces at the table, the first days of school, and the casseroles for the sport’s team banquets. But that was another time and place, another part of life. Now, I am happy here in my armchair and hope that I still have something to contribute from my quiet corner. I can see it all and quietly embrace it in my heart even if I am not in the director’s chair. Not a bad place to be.