Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Retirement is Paying Ourselves to do What We LOVE

I heard this quote on some commercial several days ago on the TV. It obviously resonated with me as I quickly went and wrote it down.  It definitely underlines my attitude about life and not having to work anymore.
When I first retired at the age of 59, I scurried around doing all those things I had not had the chance to do in the forty years that I worked and raised a family.  Then I went through a hermit stage for a few years.  
Now I'm at the most contented stage of my life!  And, it's all because I have time to do as little or as much as I want.
Last night I went upstairs to close windows and lock the door.  As I looked out the living room window to the North, I saw the amazing cloud in the first photo and hightailed it downstairs to get my camera.  Up I sailed to the roof terrace to photograph for about the next thirty minutes all the magnificent colors in the sky from the sunset.  AND, the full moon.  Time was irrelevant.  I had no where I needed to be and I just reveled
in the moments of beauty.
Life in those moments was complete.  Such a sense of serenity engulfed me that I went back downstairs and felt like I had been on a magic carpet ride for who knows how long.

In the hustle and bustle of my previous life, lo those many years ago, I would not have even noticed, or if I had, I would have had another thing I had to do and would not have had time to enjoy nature's splendor.

I SO LOVED having the time to do something that I love and so enjoyed because I'm retired!  Life is good.

6 comments:

Retired Teacher said...

As a fellow retiree, I agree with your philosophy 100%. I love being retired, and I can't understand those people who say they are bored when they retire.

Lynne (WinnieViews) said...

I LOVE that quote! I've not been retired that long yet, but do already feel the sense of stopping to smell the roses...whenever I darn well feel like it!

I'm surprised at how fast all those massive travel itineraries I used to dream about before retirement already seem to be shrinking. Sure I still want to go places and see new things, but I'm gravitating more towards slow-travel and picking a few places to fully absorb my surroundings, than buzzing through dozens of attractions!

Babs said...

Bill, I love reading your posts. You are always busy doing something enjoyable. Gardening, traveling etc. You DEFINITELY get it.

I think people who are bored after retirement never developed any outside interests and their identity is tied up in what their job was, sadly.

Babs said...

Lynne, I so enjoy your BLOG and your posts. I truly look forward to each and every post! Never boring, that's for sure.
Your way of doing it in the Winnie would be just the way I would want to do it. Stopping when I darn well felt like it. Keep going and hope we connect, if and when you get back to SMA!

Christine said...

Wow! that first photograph is amazing. No wonder some people believed the gods lived in the clouds!

Babs said...

Christine, I had never heard that. What a lovely thought...