Showing posts with label retirement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label retirement. Show all posts

5.29.2009

Alrighty then


There's nothing that reminds you that you're getting older than spending half a day sorting out the how's and what's of Medicare and then later signing up for a retirement check. In my head I'm twenty so those things sound like they belong in the realm of the ancients. Maybe that's why I've been putting off thinking about it. I just don't feel ancient yet.

These things take some getting used to. Like for Medicare, it looks like I have to pick out a Medicare doctor? What happens if I don't? They don't cover me? Or am I OK because I'm going to keep my state retirement health plan? I'll check into that next week. At least I've found that if I keep looking the answers eventually appear on some web page. Because I often forget where I found something important, today I copied every tidbit as I went along, and copied them into a Medicare document on my desktop. Right now it feels like a bit of overkill but my experience tells me I did the right thing.

Oh, I haven't kept up on the diet progress. It's still great. Except, confession: I am starting to think about s'mores, cake, cookies, potato chips. Crap. I mean "crap" as an expletive, am not implying at all that those foods are crap. Quite the opposite.

But really, I did kind of have to go off the diet last weekend due to lack of planning and being at a party without my own food. I only lost a day, in that I gained a pound back the next day, and then it was back to dropping. It's not as dramatic as in the first week, but I don't really mind. I'm so comfortable with this way of eating that I fully expect to happily do another round of shots (which comes about 6 weeks after the first round ends, if I remember correctly.)

Lara's coming to spend the night in a couple of hours. She's bringing an easel for me. I plan to begin painting. She also is going to help me put a floor lamp together but doesn't know it yet!

4.18.2008

Confused


Here's my inner conversation these days:

OK, so I'm retired. Now what? It took a year to get into the new rhythm & happily I now have tons of good energy. That's a good thing. Only I started doing too much and I could feel my body getting way too revved up.

Hmmm, what was my idea of a happy retirement? Oh, having lots of reading time, working on projects and volunteering. So, using that as my measuring stick, am I doing what I want? Yes and no. Lots of projects and volunteering, not enough reading. Well, that was easy. Just carve out more reading time. Only it's not so easy....I always think I have to be DOING something.

And round and round I go. Seems like the glitch is in the slowing down part. What keeps me from that?

Breakfast today: the tail end of Mark's biscotti. I've been trying not to annihilate the chocolate chili cashew ones but as of today they're history. And these 2 very tasty strawberries.

3.27.2008

Off to work


Retired? I'm busier than ever. One of my favorite things to do is work at the Diversion Program in Community Youth Services. It's interesting but definitely the people are the reason I stay. I wanted to volunteer lots when I ditched the job, and the main criteria for where I give away my time is that it has to be with fun people who have a lot of integrity and I have to feel useful. This place does that.

I'm also working for one of my brothers...doing what I do best. Organize, write, problem-solve. I kinda pick what I want to work on and do it all from home. Amazing.

So I'm off to "work." Oh, meet Lucy. Our very fun standard red poodle.