Retirement: Year 1 Thoughts

New backpack and trekking poles

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It's been just over a year since I officially retired. Here are some thoughts:

• I like it: I read a lot about retirement beforehand and I continue to read blogs and listen to podcasts and the common theme is: people are different. All you can do is hike your own hike. I don't get bored as long as I'm in control of my own schedule. I prefer a calendar free of commitments so I can chart my own course.
• I'm not fancy: I prefer casual environments, food like pizza and Mexican, and I wear a tshirt, black stretchy athletic shorts, and Chaco sandals every day.
• I miss Lulu: Our dachshund Lulu died in July. She was so sweet and easygoing and loved going with me on long daily walks through the trails and creeks. It may have been that she was deaf in her old age, but she never seemed to mind all my stream of consciousness silly non-sensical songs, chants, and ramblings...unlike other members of my family.
• FIRE and Backpacking: I really relate to unconventional yet intentional mindsets...of charting your own course, but being smart and self aware. I read all kinds of blogs and listen to podcasts about things like FIRE (Financial Independence\Retire Early) and backpacking.   
• Intelligent Life and The Great American Read: I love sites like Aeon, The Atlantic, Pacific Standard, New York Times, etc. The stories are terrific, but I really enjoy the well thought out comments and different insightful points of view. It just makes me feel good knowing there's intelligent life out there. Helen and I also really enjoyed following along with The Great American Read on PBS. It inspired us to read Pride and Prejudice. I devoured all the sharp witted sarcastic and irreverent poking at convention. Jane Austen's writing was from another world. How can some people be so amazing? It has to be painful for people like her to live in the real world with the rest of us. I'm also finishing up Thoreau's Walden...and finding him quite the kindred spirit. I kept calling out passages to Helen and confirming "isn't that what I've been saying all along...this guy's in my head." 
• Systems and Minimalism: I've always enjoyed analyzing and organizing things into manageable and predictable "systems" with the goal of making things "easier". That's fun for me and I've had some additional time to do that. I also know enjoyment can become compulsion, but I try to head that off by staying way ahead of things and minimizing what I concern myself with. I know I'm bad at ad-hoc situations with things like hidden data, contradictory prioritizations, inefficient solutions, etc. Who "owns" it after all? I don't want to if I can help it. I'm trying to calm the storm in my head not add to it. 
• Activity: I can't sit still for long. I'm constantly bouncing back and forth between things. I read some, listen some, watch some. I usually have about 3 browser instances opened with about 10 tabs each. I get antsy and have to make some progress on some things, I go on a long walk, do some push ups, pull ups, etc. There's always something.  
• Derek and Adam: Derek was working nearby for the past 6 months and I enjoyed him coming home for lunch and visiting. Adam is really maturing physically and mentally in his high school junior year. He spends a lot of time alone in his room, not so much gaming as before but just trying to figure things out. He shares his movies and music with us and joins us on a walk from time to time. Helen and I are the potted plants. The kids come by and check on us from time to time and it gives them comfort to know we're there, but they don't generally have a need or a want to interact with the plants.
• Helen: It's been nice to spend more time with Helen. She's still working...as she often reiterates to me. We get up most mornings at 4:30 to do some sort of exercise\stretching and have breakfast before she heads to school. In the afternoon, we catch up over a coffee, go on long walks in the wooded park, prepare meals, and wind down together. No more running around with all the kids activities. Her job is still very busy, but not as stressful as it was. However, it's also been a washing machine. She's dealing with her job, aging parents, mid life lady stuff, kids who have moved on, and a honey who "dropped out" and talks about things like minimalism and intentionality. It's a process...we're trying to figure it out. 
• The Fleetingness Of Relevancy and Time To Hike: Everyone's always busy and everything's always so important, but I can't seem to unknow what I've been acutely aware of for a long time now: relevancy is fleeting...tick tock tick tock. It seems like most of the transitions I've made in my life have just felt right. I'm not talking about touchy feely or pre-ordained stuff, but rather the you know it when you know it kind of gut feeling. It felt that way with marrying Helen, having kids, quitting work, etc. So it's with Helen's blessing and support that I'm going to try to thru hike the Appalachian Trail this spring and summer. The time just feels right...tick tock tick tock.