Retirement

I sometimes feel that I'm in the process of developing that horrible disease called Alzheimer, but I'm blaming my problem on too much going on in my head.  Daily, I'll go from one room to the next and have no idea what I went in there for.  Usually if I go back into the room I came out of I'll remember.  Crazy!  But I'm hearing more and more people say they have the same problem. In my case I feel it is due to working so many organized years.

I've been retired 7 months and have accomplished not one thing.  I've thought about that a lot and have finally come to a conclusion.  I've lived a structured life for years and now my life has no structure.  I have less to do and more time to do it in, but...

When we work:  We know what time to get up in the morning.  We know what time we must be at work.  Our work is defined for us by our job description.  We know when we will leave for the day.  When we get home there is usually some sort of routine that we all go through - cooking, cleaning, watching a favorite show on TV, etc.  Then bedtime comes before all of this starts over again.  We even have our lives structured over the weekends...  laundry, cleaning, shopping, yard work, visiting friends and family, church, all of this pressed into 2 short days and then, the week starts over again. 

So many of us say that "when I retire I'm going to ....." but when the time comes it just isn't that easy to do.  Some of us retire due to health, which will put a strain on all of those things we were 'gonna' do.  Some retire because of age.  But no matter when or why you retire, if you're like me, you leave behind the structure and find yourself at a loss. 

I decided to change that and put some structure back into my life.  I've made a list of things that I want to do.  Due to my back I'm limited as to how much I can do at one time but at least I can do a little every day.  I started in my kitchen where I spend so much time.  I looked at my cabinets and came up with an idea to change them.  I like their color - yellow - but wanted to change the handles.  I looked online, in Lowes, Home Depot, etc. and found some handles I like but they are almost $4.00 each plus shipping and since I need 24 handles that will climb up there a bit in dollars.  Then it hit me.  You have time, make your own.  I wanted flowers for my handles so I went to Wally World, found some wooden round handles, printed out a simple flower pattern that fits the handle perfectly, traced it onto the wooden handle and am in the process of painting my own. 

Now for the structure part.  I'm doing 1 door a day.  Taking down the door, sanding it lightly, giving it another coat of the yellow as well as a coat of clear so it can be easily washed.  Then I add my new handles.  Since I can only do the sanding when the weather outside is clear I've only been able to finish 2 doors in the week that I started restructuring my time.  But every time I walk into the kitchen and see those 2 doors I'm inspired to continue.  When the kitchen is finished I'm moving on to the next room.  Look out cabinets and closets because I'm back in the working world - at home and feel so much better.  Hopefully, the next time I get up from my computer and walk into the kitchen I'll be able to remember it was for a glass of tea.