Long-term plans? It could be retirement. At 78, I have a firm commitment from my irrational self that by 80, if the body and mind don’t stop first, we’ll slow down. I’ve already made some choices about focus. The carving business will not do any more quarterboards, transom banners, large volumes of spoons, or such. After years of three-day boat shows, your typical crafts show is lackluster and takes too much time for the return on investment.
It was easy to reduce in those areas. It’s a Marie Kondo cleansing of motivations. Does this type of work spark joy? No? Well, get rid of it. It’s not as though it brings in a vast sum of money.
But what about “real” work? You know, that TV staion and the videography? When will you cut that out?
The issue is that looking at the examples set by friends and colleagues, their choices of what to do in retirement don’t entice me. Playing bridge at the Senior Center or watching Neflicks documentaries one after another bores me. One friend is perfecting their lawn and debates the benefits of a sheep to graze versus mechanical means to trim the great green swath.
Another friend is on an endless quest to drop off and pick up grandkids at a ceaseless round of sports and dance engagements.
I’d go Fruitloops doing any of those things.
So, when I do give up the job, I’ll spend time carving ships in the shop and tending a garden. Sporadically, I’ll play guitar and reengage with the Spanish language. Then, I’ll wander down to my friend’s boatyard and give my opinions on things I should not. Once I am done with that, I’ll enveigle my wife into a frolicking detour of interesting shops and then dinner. A grandchild might like to go for a trail walk in the woods, so we’ll do that, too.
Of course, my health will have the final say in what I do, how active I am, and how long I do it. But as long as I’m able, I’ll be active. It’s a plan, and as we know, plans frequently do not survive contact with reality. As Eisenhower mentioned, though plans may not last, planning helps us meet the unforeseen. Most of the things I do are enjoyable by themselves but are also aimed at maintaining my physical, mental, and emotional health.
Life will never accommodate us because we are special, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to find a comfortable niche.
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Amen!
Your thoughts resonate with me. Though I am already out of the daily paycheck workforce, I’m still in the middle of trying to decide what to do in retirement. I agree that the choices of my peers are not usually what I want, but I guess I’m grateful that they are demonstrating those examples to consider. What not to do, as it were.
You have your carving, that you love, and you are doing exactly the right thing: choosing which parts of your carving give you pleasure, and getting ready to discard the rest.
Crystal, you have an incredible start on an exciting retirement, you travel to interesting places, with people you love, you learn great and meaningful new things, and you are happy. Wonderful!
“Does this type of work spark joy? No? Well, get rid of it.” Yep. I have looked around at what my friends are doing with their retirement. More than any other thing in my life it has driven home the redundant axiom, “We’re all different in our own way.” Never, never in a millions years would I be on the board of a food bank or write the church bulletin or worry about grandkids and fastidiously maintain my possessions. Never never never never. I am also 100% sure (because they could if they wanted to) they would NEVER spend time every day walking dogs at the Refuge (for one thing) or abandon a perfectly good lawn for a wildflower garden or write a blog every day.
Gee Martha….we are subversives…who’d have guessed!
🤣 Most of my bosses…
Hmmmm. Mine too.
There you go… I think it’s tattooed on my forehead but I can’t read it. I think it says, “Normal nice person” but maybe not…
You’re amazing, Lou. I love all those aspirations and goals, I hope you get to do every one. With your zest for life, I’m sure you will. Ship carving sounds wonderful too.
We all can only try. But as you know, Mason, if you don’t try you can’t achieve.
Very true. We must put in the effort or be happy with achieving nothing.