No Prescription for Retirement!

For the last few years before I retired, I dreamed of what it would be like to live in retirement. Not having to set an alarm, taking naps when I want to, sitting by the pool, looking up recipes and just reading for fun was what I envisioned.

I read a few books about retirement and there are many: How to Retire, 101 Fun Things to Do in Retirement, Purposeful Retirement, How to Retire Happy and What you Don't Know about Retirement. Well I have to say, they didn't quite hit the mark for me. Yes indeed, I  enjoy not setting an alarm and swimming in our pool most afternoons (thanks to the solar cover, I'm still swimming in October!) I get to peruse recipes and love dilly-dallying in my gardens.

What I did not expect however was facing health challenges and finding a new rhythm would be difficult. As some of you already know, I have trigeminal neuralgia and am still taking a chemo pill every day. Both of those medicines cause constipation. My family doctor recently added a new medication and guess what the number one side effect is - you guessed it - constipation. I told Daryl it's a whole new life when your afternoon cocktail is prune juice! Oh I have become an expert on laxatives and herbal remedies so don't send me any! The doctors have warned me to stay on top of it so I don't end up in the ER with a blockage! Yeah, I had that once, not pretty! So excuse my language but who knew retirement would be about "shit?" 

My balance is a challenge with this disease, so I now have a chair in my closet. Seems like two legs in the same pant hole is not a good idea while trying to stand! Any thing that requires bending over is probably going to end up with me on the floor or throwing up! 

Okay so then there is the brain fog. Some days it's tiring and other days Daryl and I just roar with laughter. Do you know where my glasses are? My favorite answer to that is, Yes the last time I wore them I put them in the freezer. My family never did think that was so funny! Or what day is it? Is this Wednesday or Thursday? Did I lock the door or close the garage? So I trot to double check. Thank God there is a song on my dryer and washer when it is complete or we might have laundry in there for days! And the microwave dings until you open the door! If only they would design jars and pill bottles that open easier! 

Recently my dear friends Ann and Joyce came to visit us. It was grand. We have been friends for over 40 years! So we were playing rummikub and I put out a small snack of crackers and cheese. A few days after they left, I said to Daryl, did you finish the cheese that was in that container? No he said, I thought you did. Well, I can't find it anywhere. A few days later I was reorganizing the pantry (because I now have time to do it and it seems like a fun thing to do in retirement) and low and behold, there is the container of cheese! It was a little soft but still edible. I wonder what else I will find in there! Anyway we had a good laugh and as long as I don't mix up the hemorrhoid medicine and the toothpaste I think I can manage!

So Daryl and I have learned to give each other a lot of grace in retirement. We don't fret the small things and we try to go to the beach at least once a week because that is one of the reasons we moved here. Daryl was finally able to fly his stunt kite as you can see in the photos. The wind was great and the beach wasn't too occupied. 

All in all, I'm loving retirement even with its aches and pains. I believe there is no set prescription for retirement. Every person will live their own version of it. Mine keeps changing daily. I am getting used to the fact that I don't have a schedule and I like that. I try to move slowly but if you know me at all, you know I don't usually have a slow gear. I'm an "all or nothing" kind of gal! 

I've received great comfort in the sermon by our Pastor Jason last week. He told us how God uses the most unlikely to do God's work. He told the story of David, a murderer, an adulterer, a thief and outright scoundrel. Yet God chose him to lead the people. "God sees the heart," he said. He knows us even when we try to put on a good act. I love that. God knows all of me and still loves me. Every night I sing this song, "Lord Jesus I long to be perfectly whole, I want You forever to Live in My soul!" It comforts me. It's an old hymn from my childhood and not all of it fits with my theology of God but I'll take its resonance in my heart. 

So today may you be blessed with the moments you are in right now. May the peace of God sit on your shoulder and carry you through the day! Whether you are retired or working, may you find time to smile, knowing I love you and you make my life a blessing. Joy in the Journey! Bonnie Lee