Time

Having now been retired myself for almost a year and a half, the phenomenon of “time” has taken on new properties for me.  Not only am I more aware of the passage of time, but I also, ironically, find myself losing track of it.  One challenge has been particularly apparent:  I seem not to know what day it is anymore. For example, I was speaking to my sister the other day—she is a little younger than I, but also retired—and she said we could get together on some Saturday in the future.  That would have made perfect sense to me when I was working, but I replied, “Every day is Saturday.”  We laughed…and agreed.  I told her, when I was working, I had a calendar in my head.  Now, it’s a good thing my wife maintains a paper calendar on the inside of our pantry door and X’s off the days gone by so we will know if today is really Saturday or not.  

 I must admit, this new challenge of keeping track of whether today is a Tuesday or a Wednesday was psychologically unsettling at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how fortunate we as retirees are in that we no longer need to keep a calendar in our heads. 

 FULL DISCLOSURE:  I’m really glad my wife keeps the calendar, but if I ever buy another watch, it will be one that tells me the day as well as the date.  On the other hand, those retirees among us who no longer wear a watch might have the real answer. . .

 Regardless of how—or whether—we keep track of time, may we spend it with those we love doing the things we enjoy and that give meaning to our lives.  And may we be wise enough to cherish it all the days of our retirement.

Rick Hearin