I’ve been retired for a year and a half now. Whenever I visit with friends and acquaintances, I get the inevitable question: “What are you doing in retirement?”
I’m running out of clever and deflecting ways of saying, “Nothing.”
You see, that was the whole idea. I’ve worked full time all my adult life. All I ever did was yearn for more time to spend at home, without the dull sword of work hanging over my head. I have spent decades longing for more time to read, more time to cook, more time to listen to music, yada yada yada. Never, ever have I dreamed of a retirement filled with commitments and obligations, even of a voluntary nature.
I’ve seen it happen to others. They retire, then start to “get involved” in things. In no time at all, they are far busier in retirement than they ever were while working. That is most definitely not what I want to do.
So I’ve avoided all but the most ephemeral commitments. I read. I watch movies. I cook, knit, work puzzles and generally knock about the house all day, every day. And I am in heaven.
One day it may grow old. One day I may look up and decide to commit my energies to something larger than myself. But give me a little time. I feel like I’ve earned the right to wallow for a bit. I still have a stack of books to get to, and several untried new recipes.
So here’s my best answer to the question of what I’m doing in retirement: Everything I ever dreamed of.