#148: The A-Word

This week I met a new retirement home reader with a great attitude.  Mrs D. left a bridge game to give me her list of favourite authors and when I returned from the Bookmobile, she enthusiastically checked out my choices. "The new Stuart Woods!  These are all Bestsellers!  You're an angel."  She piled her books (her regular print books) into her walker and happily departed. Mrs. D is 95.

My afternoon encounter with Mrs. D was the perfect antidote to my gloom after getting an email about an elderly friend who was cancelling lunch because her arthritis was bothering her.  Rats.  Old Age strikes again.   Unless you clock out when you are about 40, you can't help but be aware of Retirement's evil twin, Aging. Retirement and Getting Old are pretty much joined at the hip and sometimes it is arthritic. 

I steeled myself and called the arthritis sufferer.  She spoke optimistically about hip surgery and an upcoming doctor's appointment.  Yes, it is a nuisance, but she will be OK.

Once again, Attitude trumps Aging.  I'd better start taking notes.


     

 

#147: Has Bean

I never soaked a bean in my life.

Until now.  Today I have the time, I have the inclination, and I have a yummy black bean recipe.

There are lots of things you can do with newly soaked black beans.  (Google is a great source of information.  "How to use black beans" comes a close second to "piano-playing cats").

I'm going with enchiladas.  We'll save the black bean brownies for another occasion.  

#146: Money Matters

Since I am no longer filling the volunteer candy jar, I must be a saving $10 (more or less) each month.  Whoopee.  Perhaps it is cheaper to live as a retiree.  Let me count the ways:

My daily 50 km commute is a thing of the past and so is the weekly gas bill.

I rarely take clothes to the dry cleaners now.

I rarely buy new clothes.  I often admire a perfect work ensemble, but confer with my inner retiree; she reminds me that I don't need them -- not those kind of work clothes, anyway.

No more TGIF.  We don't eat out on Friday, and don't seem to miss it. 

I do sometimes take advantage of seniors' prices.  As a grand-daughter of the Depression,  it seems only right to save money if the opportunity presents.  (But I did feel unnecessarily cheap while shopping at Value Village on Seniors' Day.  I have my standards.)

So many ways to save!  And just as well, since I have new expenses. As a former library employee I must now pay overdue fines.

#145: Old Habits

I came that close to buying a reduced-price, giant bag of mixed candy for the volunteer candy jar, the one that sat near the sign-in book by my desk at the library.

On second thought, considering that I am now a volunteer, I suppose I might have bought it for myself.

Maybe next time....

#144: Knit Bit

With one mitten complete, I am concluding that knitting has the potential to satisfy many of my retirement activity needs.   Knitting is:

Creative-- I am sometimes moved to "modify" the pattern.   Of course this is not always a good idea...

Intellectual -- Every project is a learning experience.   My first sock took nine months to complete and by then it really should have been able to knit itself. The second sock was much smarter.

Social -- Sometimes I can only extricate myself from a woolly mess with help from a friend

Physical -- I have the sore right arm and hand to prove it.

Spiritual -- Although some knitters claim enlightenment, I'm still not ready to knit a "prayer" shawl for anyone.  The infamous first sock probably had an understood vocabulary of 10 or so words and phrases. None were prayers. 

Sooooo, not a perfect activity, but still fun!  Bring on Mitten # 2.

#143: ZZZZZZ, Again

A few posts earlier Sandra observed that sleeping late offsets the fatigue of a too-busy day.  I think it is great that retirees have so many of those!  In fact, I am discovering that for many of us, busyness extends to midnight and beyond.

Readers, now retired, revel in the knowledge that they can keep reading the "exciting part" and not have to drag themselves out of bed next day.  An insomniac says she is less anxious knowing that she can just get up and check Facebook, play Scrabble or read, knowing the alarm clock won't care   A librarian friend who has unleashed his artistic side, speaks of happily completing a painting at two a.m. He was on a role, and couldn't stop, and didn't have to.

Meanwhile in the family room at 12:30 last night I finally figured out the tricky bit of a knitting project. Even a good book would not have kept me up so late.  This was different.  I was not going off to bed defeated by a mitten!

#142: Qi and Me

Having just finished going through 20 or so Qigong postures at home, I can only say that a class session is preferable.

I am sure our instructor James would agree.  He would probably explain that the group experience increases our qi or life energy and multiplies its positive effect.

I'm not really sure what that means.

What I do know is that in the classroom surrounded by other people all doing "Double Hands Support the Heavens", I am not seeing dustbunnies or a drooping bunch of flowers, and I am not thinking about unfinished Christmas cards or overdue library books. 

Besides, a friend and I go out to lunch afterward. "Double Hands Support the Coffee Cup" is very qi enhancing.