Gotta Start Somewhere
27/11/18 07:30
Hells bells! He's back. Not sure for how long but he's back. It feels odd to be sitting here doing this truth be told. If I can cut through the usual pomp and circumstance I might get to say a few words that are worth keeping. Maybe not caring so much about that sort of thing will make a difference going forward. I do feel as though I am at a particular juncture in my life where I can go one way or another and it doesn't matter which way I go. None of that involves the people in my life and it's all just me. Can you think of anything more boring? So what if I wear more blue than black in the year 2019? Or, more polyester than wool? Fewer wingtips and more loafers? Here's a keeper for you. How about more protein and less carbs? I don't think I have the rules down on when to use "fewer" and when to use "less" so I probably ought to work on that. Not that anybody would notice.
I don't know how how on earth I am going to catch up since I last sat down to write in this here journal. Some things don't change much and other things change a lot. There are some things I don't want to talk about and other things I talked about a lot before and now, well, not so much. This is the thirty thousand foot view, folks. Thanksgiving is behind us and Christmas and New Year's lie ahead. I'm a little less focused on politics these days and I have no talk radio on at this really hour but rather holiday music coming to me thanks to Sirius. I'm making more of an effort to read books of interest but find that having too many books to choose from makes making choices difficult. I tried reading multiple books at once and that became overwhelming so I stopped altogether. I'm back to reading one at a time which is what I think most people do. The more things change the more they stay the same?
When people ask how I'm making out in retirement I say unabashedly that it took me a couple of years to find my groove. I only say that because this year compared to the past two years prior has been a very productive year. My checklist of things to do started small and grew exponentially throughout the year. It's not enough to have a list though. You need to get things done. Evan helped early on when I needed a hand staining a certain section of the back porch and despite paying him handsomely for his services he soon lost interest. It seems he never got his arms around that feeling of accomplishment that propels the do-it-yourself crowd to start small and end big. His mother and I always implored him to "end strong" when he was in school and I think that sentiment might have been lost on him. Anyway, I kept going and before the Fall was out I had stained most of the house myself. Just so you know, that was but one of many things I took on in 2018. Maybe even one of many many things.
Did I mention that I am still riding my bike as the weather permits? In years past you wouldn't find me riding when the temperatures went below 40. I don't really know what changed but I'm doing the thirties now and loving every minute of it. I'm careful not to ride when the temperatures fall below freezing since hitting an ice patch could be dangerous. I'm reckless enough as it is but prefer the open road to the confines of a sweaty gym so I'm staying the course for now. As long as temperatures permit and there is sufficient space in the bike lanes to ride Ill be riding. Nancy's bike is in the shed until Spring. Need I say more? Oh, and cleaning out the shed was the hardest thing I had to do this year. I even paid somebody to come and take away the riding mower that hasn't been used for years. That and multiple trips to the local recycling center got the job done.
2018 was so productive that I worried that if I didn't leave some things undone I might not have anything to do with myself in 2019. Can you imagine? So, I left some thing undone. There are areas in the garage that need painting, I have a wood pile that needs to get relocated, I have a clothesline post that will need to be dug up and replaced, and that is all just for starters. Just for starters. Maybe that will be my motto for 2019.
I don't know how how on earth I am going to catch up since I last sat down to write in this here journal. Some things don't change much and other things change a lot. There are some things I don't want to talk about and other things I talked about a lot before and now, well, not so much. This is the thirty thousand foot view, folks. Thanksgiving is behind us and Christmas and New Year's lie ahead. I'm a little less focused on politics these days and I have no talk radio on at this really hour but rather holiday music coming to me thanks to Sirius. I'm making more of an effort to read books of interest but find that having too many books to choose from makes making choices difficult. I tried reading multiple books at once and that became overwhelming so I stopped altogether. I'm back to reading one at a time which is what I think most people do. The more things change the more they stay the same?
When people ask how I'm making out in retirement I say unabashedly that it took me a couple of years to find my groove. I only say that because this year compared to the past two years prior has been a very productive year. My checklist of things to do started small and grew exponentially throughout the year. It's not enough to have a list though. You need to get things done. Evan helped early on when I needed a hand staining a certain section of the back porch and despite paying him handsomely for his services he soon lost interest. It seems he never got his arms around that feeling of accomplishment that propels the do-it-yourself crowd to start small and end big. His mother and I always implored him to "end strong" when he was in school and I think that sentiment might have been lost on him. Anyway, I kept going and before the Fall was out I had stained most of the house myself. Just so you know, that was but one of many things I took on in 2018. Maybe even one of many many things.
Did I mention that I am still riding my bike as the weather permits? In years past you wouldn't find me riding when the temperatures went below 40. I don't really know what changed but I'm doing the thirties now and loving every minute of it. I'm careful not to ride when the temperatures fall below freezing since hitting an ice patch could be dangerous. I'm reckless enough as it is but prefer the open road to the confines of a sweaty gym so I'm staying the course for now. As long as temperatures permit and there is sufficient space in the bike lanes to ride Ill be riding. Nancy's bike is in the shed until Spring. Need I say more? Oh, and cleaning out the shed was the hardest thing I had to do this year. I even paid somebody to come and take away the riding mower that hasn't been used for years. That and multiple trips to the local recycling center got the job done.
2018 was so productive that I worried that if I didn't leave some things undone I might not have anything to do with myself in 2019. Can you imagine? So, I left some thing undone. There are areas in the garage that need painting, I have a wood pile that needs to get relocated, I have a clothesline post that will need to be dug up and replaced, and that is all just for starters. Just for starters. Maybe that will be my motto for 2019.