“Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.”— Brian Dyson
A revelation I have come to realize I do not have to get everything done all in one day. Who knew? For most of my adult life I was a working single mom with 2 very energetic sons. Being on autopilot was my normal state of being. Multi-tasking was not a choice but a necessity. Even after the kids were grown and out of the house, I continued my state of constant motion. Letting go of this state of being is not as easy as I thought it would be. There was not an invisible switch that turned off my constant need to be doing something, to have a list a mile long of tasks and errands that needed to be done before the sunset. Many days I have feelings of guilt when I put off something until the next day. Then a small voice whispered to me, “Start pacing yourself. There is no longer a need to ball everything together and overwhelm yourself so much.” This prompting stopped me in my tracks. Of course, I had to argue with myself. If I don’t hit the ground running (to be honest the very best, I can do these days is to hit the ground in a fast walk) I will never get everything done. If I don’t get everything done people will think I am lazy. I must keep the pace or people will think I am an old lady! My goal is to stay relevant in my retirement and to do this I have to keep on keeping on, and heaven forbid I even think of taking an afternoon siesta.
A quote by Brian Dyson came to mind “Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.” How could I argue with that? Life is a journey to be appreciated, cherished, treasured, and enjoyed, especially in retirement. These are the qualities we all want in our new life as a retiree. We must let go of our old rat race of life, let go of the idea that our only value as a person is the amount of work produced. We can even be more engaged in life when we slow the pace down. We can savor our cup of tea in the afternoon, appreciating the aromas and really tasting the nuances of the flavors in that luxurious cup of tea. We can look out our window and appreciate nature’s symphony of birds singing their melodic songs, the squirrels chirping to one another, and the gentle rustle of leaves. Take a book off the shelf and get lost in someone else’s story. Open up the box of treasured pictures and mementos and be reminded of all the wonderful people in our lives and the special places we have visited. We can pick up the phone and call an old friend we haven’t talked to in a while. It is guaranteed to make us feel better afterward. We are given the gift of time, so let’s unwrap this precious gift and be grateful for it.
One of the concerns my retired friends have shared with me is the fear of boredom and loneliness. I believe if we do a little adjustment on what we expect of ourselves we can release this fear. We cannot look at what our retired days will be like through the same lens we were looking through when we were working the 9-5 grind. Seeing life a little softer, a little calmer, will allow us to be a lot kinder to ourselves and the expectation of a successful day will change from how much work did I put out to how many things did I savor today? This is the way to be engaged in our new life.
“Hello lamppost, what’cha knowing
I’ve come to watch your flowers growin’
Ain’t you got no rhymes for me?
Doo-ait-n-doo-doo, feeling groovy.” Lyrics by Paul Simon
