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I am still struggling to get used to not going to the office every weekday. I do not actually retire until January 3, but I am on leave until my last day, when I make a brief visit to the office and turn in equipment and my I.D. Being on leave is just like what my schedule will be when I retire.<\/p>\n
The struggle I am enduring includes more wearing of…
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\n…fuzzy socks than boots. What?<\/p>\n
I still wake up fully awake at 0400 every.single.day. Even on weekends. That “rise time” has been my routine since I was a kid. Even in high school and college. Up before the birds. (That is when I did my best work, thinking clearly before daytime distractions.)<\/p>\n
Here at home, I quietly rise, visit the bathroom down the hall, so I make less noise so the Spouse can continue to sleep. Awwww… he looks so peaceful, comfy, and quiet.<\/p>\n
I tried snuggling closer, but even though his body is warm and comforting, my brain is fully awake and I just can’t get back to sleep, no matter how hard I try.<\/p>\n
I pull on a pair of fuzzy socks, sweat pants, and shirt… then ramble into the kitchen to have a small pre-breakfast snack. I have to have something on my stomach before I take a once-a-day daily med. <\/p>\n
What do I drink? Usually… water. Yep… no coffee or tea. I don’t drink the stuff.<\/p>\n
I wander back to my home office, check email, write the blog, read the news (when I can tolerate it; mostly I can’t), work on community activities in groups to which I belong or lead, communicate with family, friends, and community volunteers & leaders via regular old email, and work on maintaining my website. Before I know it, I hear the Spouse rising.<\/p>\n
I prepare breakfast for him and myself. Then…<\/p>\n
Sometimes it’s boots-on for things to do out of the house. Spouse and I like to walk, and when the weather is cold, we are joining the senior set “mall walking.” Other times we go get groceries. Oh boy!<\/p>\n
These past few days, the routine has been a little different since my twin brother and his wife are visiting. We have breakfast together, then go visit family and mutual friends most of the day. (Spouse stays home… he’s not much on socializing.)<\/p>\n
How do I dress? It’s been damn cold, so leather jeans work well, flannel shirt, along with a leather jacket. Black boots of some sort (choices vary.) Other times I wear denim jeans and cowboy boots. Whatever mood I’m in.<\/p>\n
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I really do not miss the dress slacks, shirts, and ties. My dress boots are collecting dust. <\/p>\n
When we return home, off come the boots, and on come the sweats and comfy sweatshirts. I pad around the house in … fuzzy socks. <\/p>\n
The day rolls on. I keep busy. <\/p>\n
I prepare dinner for Spouse and myself (and my brother & his wife), then (usually) brother goes out again to see more family, while Spouse and retreat to our basement, where we have a large-screen TV. We watch whatever the Spouse has recorded on the DVR. I usually walk another mile or two on the treadmill, then use a laptop and do community work until the Spouse whines about being ignored. I shut it down and snuggle with him until the usual 2030 (8:30pm) bedtime.<\/p>\n
Have I tried staying up later so I could sleep later?<\/p>\n
Yes, but my body clock is so hard-wired, I fall asleep in Spouse’s arms despite how frequently he shakes me. By 8:30, he just gives up and pours me into bed (after evening bathroom routine again.)<\/p>\n
Thus is my routine on which I am struggling to adjust. It is much harder than I thought it would be.<\/p>\n
Life is short: adjust, adjust, adjust.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I am still struggling to get used to not going to the office every weekday. I do not actually retire until January 3, but I am on leave until my last day, when I make a brief visit to the … Continue reading