Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Awkward Retirement or Are You a Bob or a Barbara

Barbara
I see that Bob Lowery over at Satisfying Retirement is writing about the daily life of a retiree. He has a huge readership so I am sure many people are taking note. That is a good thing.

I know Bob and his wife and have spent time with them. I think that he and I are pole opposites in that he likes a plan and I like a life lived willy nilly! I am sure that he finds me totally unorganized and a little bewildering.

My garden reflect my thought process. It is a scattered mass of this and that. Plants from friends, day lilies here and there and one single specimen when ten would have been much better. The truth is I really have no idea how to go about organizing my garden other than getting the things I regards as weeds out. Otherwise I am just happy stepping over and among the lilly and dying snapdragons.

Retirement for me is a lot like that. We leave when we want, come home when we are tired. Our vacations, even in foreign countries, not scheduled and agenda-ed. If we want to walk we walk. On our arrival we look at postcards (thank you for the idea Norah) and see what every tourist is visiting. Then we pick what appeals to us.

I can count the "guided tours" we have taken in museums or around town on one hand.

The question is probably "Aren't you missing stuff?" Yes, I think we are but I wouldn't change anything at all. We find more than we miss by far. Even in our daily life I know people are doing things I should do or even would like to do and I am a little envious. But not enough to prompt me to change.

Retirement for us is about the people both old and young. It is about good books, learning to put down ceramic tile and trying cold brewed coffee. I certainly don't feel the need to change the world so I don't think anyone is impressed with the ease with which my husband and I approach every day.

I, on the other hand, am impressed with the things that other's do. Bob is making retirement a huge success and I love that. He started blogging long after I had taken the pursuit up. He surpassed me within a few months. The fact that he asked me a few things about our retirement lifestyle and included an article by me in his book made me happy.

So, now you have retired, what do you do with all that time? Are you a Bob or a Barbara? You tell me. I still have days when I feel lost but I have learned to adapt and have a plan for when that happens. I suppose Bob feels a little frustrated when his plans for the day don't work out. I would follow that he too has a plan.

So, if you are retired, how do you spend your day? I am interested.

b+

Read other post about the retirement lifestyle here on this blog:

12 Posts about A Day in the Life of a Retiree.

2017 Version of Retirement Lifestyle

An Interview with me by Bob Lowery

Living the Future (I think this was is very good.)


18 comments:

  1. What an interesting comparison of different personalities in retirement. I personally really think I should have more of a plan after all of those years of goals in the workplace. What I am doing so far is walking down between you and Bob. I know I need some structure so I have joined a couple of groups. Not enough structure yet now that we are in our new location but it will fill in. I know I like to wander with new activities and reading widely so I do. Family time - yes as available. Etc.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You have pointed what someone like me feels like...I want to be more structured. However, like Lisa Cudrow in her character for Friends, "I would like to do that but I really don't want to." Strange but true!

      Delete
  2. You know what I am I think. A Barbara in the extreme! A plan is just a guideline or something like that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, guide lines are another thing all together, very like napping rules. 1) a nap can take no longer than an hour, other wise your have gone to bed, 2)a nap cannot be under the cover, other wise that is going to bed...and so on. Just guidelines but not structure. :)

      Delete
  3. I am more like you I think. I just take one day at a time. Do my art. Cook. Eat. etc. Travel is not on my agenda at all. Except maybe for exploring AZ now that we are moving there on Saturday. We have been raising our grandson and now that he has graduated from high school we are moving on with our retirement. I believe it will take us a very long time to recover from the last 18 years. Sitting, walking, resting. That is all we want right now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You will make of it what you must...retirement is a wonderful thing and it sounds like you have earned a well deserved retirement. Be well.

      Delete
  4. Well, I am a Bob! Actually, I think I have more "Barbara" in me than you may recognize. I find you fun, inventive, and at times an inspiration!

    Let's double check each other's approach to retirement. Betty and I will be in Portland at the end of August for a week or so. You, Earl, Betty and I need to reconnect.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely, that would be wonderful. Give us a call. :)

      Delete
    2. And, the Hillsboro Hops have their final games Labor Day weekend!

      Delete
    3. Need to buy tickets now. They sell out these days! Let me know.

      Delete
  5. We have our travel and our classes planned out, usually for the next six months or so. Otherwise we live day to day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am so impressed. We know approximately if we are going to Viet Nam for example, we will make reservations on a plane and maybe get a hotel reserved through a travel website or use Lonely Planet guide recommendations, then we just make it up after that. We traveled to Madrid with plans to stay a week or so, found out how to take train first to Toledo and then on down to Malaga where we stayed for a few days. We met or son and sent to stay in a timeshare we owned.

      As for the next six months, I don't buy green bananas! :)

      b+

      Delete
  6. I like to think that I'm somewhere in the middle. I live in the country with a large garden/yard to take care of. The seasons seem to dictate the plans. Spring has been about yard work, getting bedding plants, planting the garden. I plan my entertainment, i.e. there's a music festival this w/e and family is coming to join in the fun. Meals were planned. I just ordered tickets for a concert in a city 2 hrs away in Sept. That took some planning. I have an aged mother who needs assistance. That takes planning. So in that way I'm a Bob. I like to think that I live purposefully so that I can take care of myself, my immediate family, as well as contribute to the bigger community. Retirement allows for much more freedom to change plans; that's when I turn into a Barbara!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm in the middle, too. I have a daily routine that varies by the day of the week, but I wouldn't miss my two yoga classes, my fitness routine at the gym, Thursday's hikes with fellow seniors, or my Saturday walk with the ladies. I also read and putter in my garden, which doesn't have neat rows, either. I anticipate the ripening of my raspberries and sitting outside under the bushes and eating them without washing. They are organic, after all. My afternoons are spent doing whatever I want: reading, visiting with friends, blogging, etc. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are the perfect example of making retirement work for you I think. Don't change a thing.

      Delete
  8. I am definitely a Barb! When my husband and I made plans, they always seemed to not go as planned. After a few times of stressing over that, we found that we take each day as it comes. Travel when the mood strikes us, work around the house when we are feeling energetic and make no excuses for a lazy day of sitting on the porch, reading books and sipping lemonade. Retirement has gotten a lot happier for us doing life that way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think we have all been there. It seems that retirees are pushed to be something they are not. Another blog post coming on I think!

      Delete

Leave your thoughts...I am interested.

Featured Post

Things that Go Bump in the Night

Do you live alone? Are you afraid? Do noises make you jump? My little dog is a barker and noises make her jump. She barks at her reflection ...