RETIREMENT: A MARATHON RUN?

A series of essays....

DAN'S OFFICE ALL DECKED-OUT FOR THE BIG DAY!

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

Retirement officially began on June 1, 2018, for Dan. The choice of withdrawing or leaving from his chosen occupation at the age of sixty-seven was his and his alone. The company he worked for would have gladly employed him for as long as Dan desired to work. They respected him as a person and thoroughly appreciated his common sense  approach to any job at hand coupled by his acquired expertise after a lengthy, successful career in the Construction business.

I WONDER IF THE AUTHOR WAS REFERRING
TO BATTLING THE
I-4 TRAFFIC EVERY MORNING?

Not many can say they were able to control their own destiny. Then again, I have to ask, do we really own control or do circumstances in our lives guide us around each twist and turn and we’re merely passengers locked into this carnival ride that’s managed by the person (computer) down below? I’d like to think it’s a bit of both; a perfect blend of free will and fate!

As I sit here in the semi-darkness of the early morning hours, snug in my library chair, i-Pad screen glowing brightly, it’s difficult for me to think that this particular pleasure is offered to me on borrowed time. Certainly the contents of this room are ours: the piano we’ve moved from home to home, the antique oak, claw-foot table separating our two comfy recliners, and the grand collection of books lined-up on shelves like soldiers awaiting their orders to whisk us away to places near and far...for our sanity and immeasurable delight!

I WILL MISS THIS MORNING VIEW

It’s the shell....the structure itself....that we built as our home twenty years ago that I speak about. By our own admission and free will, we relinquish this house to others to live, play, create memories, and love in from this day forward. Well, after signatures are signed on the dotted line in August, anyway! Our house has been sold! Unfortunately, this room I write in and love so much is a part of this sale and, it will be missed. I can only hope that the new owners fill the waiting empty shelves with their own magnificent adventures!

I digress a bit from my original thoughts about Dan’s retirement plan. Three years ago, almost to the day, we purchased our ‘little yellow cottage’ and this set the wheels of retirement into motion for us. 

We always believed in owning a ‘working retirement’ and have never bought into the ‘rocking chair with knitting in hand’ syndrome. How could we when there’s so much life out there to live! So, as the beginning of June loomed before us, we hit the ground running like a pair of soldiers landing by parachute on the battlefield and moving off as quickly as possible the moment our feet touched the ground. Working with the energy and enthusiasm of youth but with the occasional aches and pains of mature (oldish?) adults, we went to work....

Interview at least three realtor teams and, based upon the information gleaned, choose which team will work the hardest to sell our home. Check. Declutter, repair, and prepare the house for its debut exposure to none other than the ENTIRE WORLD, in person and on the Internet! Check. From the first Open House on, be prepared to live in a pared-down version of your normal lifestyle while reducing your life to its most simple and cleanliest form. Check. Be prepared to put up with a full range of emotions, from incredible lows to anticipatory highs and back down again. Can’t completely or sincerely Check that line item as being accomplished.

In any case, we have been blessed by the realtor gods. Coupled by the fact that we have loved and taken great care to maintain and improve upon our home over the years,
someone else has fallen in love and, from what we hear, would like to call it their home. 

NHIEU AND DAN AT THE HOLLYWOOD SALON

We survived their home inspection last Friday and spent the ‘away time’ wisely by getting hair cuts and a pedicure. We spent some tearful moments saying our good-byes to the friends we’d acquired in Nhieu Dao, our hairdresser who, for the past nine years, has had to learn so much about dealing with blonds in addition to his formal knowledge of exotic, dark-haired Vietnamese clients. And, Donna Tran, with whom I have entrusted my sad, often dry, and mostly tired feet to for over sixteen years when we first met at the Bonjour Salon in Winter Park just before our oldest daughter’s wedding.

MY FRIEND, DONNA, HAS TAUGHT
ME SO MUCH ABOUT VIETNAM, HER HOME.

This week we are packing-up for another drive up to Michigan, a jam-packed trailer in tow. This weekend we anticipate seeing high school friends (Class of ‘68), with less familiar faces now, at our Class Reunion in Three Rivers, Michigan! I won’t write how many years since graduation. You’re welcome to do the math and gulp along with me. I have to wonder what their perception of Dan and me will be. Does it even matter as long as we are all alive, healthy, and living our lives the best that we can?

LIEN AND DAN

LIEN (PRONOUNCED LYNN) HAS SHARED
SO MUCH AND GIVEN EVEN MORE. SO MANY
STORIES TO CHERISH AND WRITE ABOUT!

Then we fly home to Orlando to do the serious packing or ‘gutting of the house’ and labeling the contents in Sharpie black by virtue of its contents and where it should be placed in the little yellow cottage...or, rented storage unit.

Within the past seven weeks since my husband’s official retirement it’s been a virtual whirlwind of activity and emotions. He (we) hasn’t had time for anything close to resembling slowing down the pace of life, let alone being able to come up for a breath of fresh air every now and again. 

Some sage advice offered by this ‘Beautiful Grandma’ to all of the young people who, even with the world at their fingertips via smartphones and the Internet, still proclaim their utter boredom with life. I say to put on your running shoes and prepare to buckle-up for the fast-paced life ahead of you. Do your warm-ups, jockey for the best position while in the neutral zone, and get ready for the most competitive time of your life imaginable....retirement!

Oh, and did I happen to mention that you must be hungry for books and become an avid reader in order to be able to gobble-up as much knowledge as possible in your lifetime?

And, when you decide it’s time to face retirement, don’t be fooled by the allure of limiting your life to long walks on the beach, eating what you want, or sitting in a comfortable rocking chair all day long. Complete the book you began writing years ago, volunteer to help others even more now that you are not limited by employment or time constraints, and get involved in local politics by joining organizations that have everyone’s best interests and personal desires for a better life for all in mind. (Please promise that you will go out and vote this November!)

Cast out the misconception of allowing downtime dictate the rhythm of your life. Maybe you don’t have to continue a marathon pace after that Friday luncheon organized in your honor as Dan has, but knowing that you now have the time to ease into that personal change you’ve been looking forward to is an amazing feeling. Life itself is an intricate and beautiful thing; retirement helps you recognize the many facets of life you may have been missing out on all of these years.

So, put on your running shoes, boys and girls, because we all have a lot more than 26.2 miles left in us after we retire!!

Copyright © 2018 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved