Live in the present
I received some great responses to my last column, “Now that you are retired, do you feel important?”
Susan writes, “You are important because you are here. Stay in the present.”
One of the reasons I like to assume the warrior position in yoga is because it reminds me to stay in the present. Both arms are at equal distance from my waist reminding me to not worry about the future and to let go of the past.
Sharon recommends travel as a way to live for today. “This summer my husband and I took our grandchildren on a camping trip to Montana. One evening we watched a prairie dog town. Then we were dumbstruck at the bison and their reddish calves in the road. We oohed at the mountains and glaciers.”
I like Sharon’s style. I need adventure like Dorothy and Toto too. The good witch is telling me that I always had the power to go to Paris. Sharon wrote, “Take train trips. Go to Boston for $58 each way. Go the Barnes museum in Philadelphia or bring a group of friends to quizzo at Irish Eyes, quite intense.” While I would like to book a Viking river cruise, it’s possible to find adventure on the Cape Water Taxi and share a lovely evening with new friends.
Jim writes, “Retirement should not mean getting tired of everything, but rather reinventing and reinvigorating our lives. As we advance in years, it gets increasingly important to share our experiences, skills, and some might even call it wisdom with others. But we all do it at our own pace.”
Reader Yolanda suggests letting go of the old you and learning who the new you is. The old me loved teaching children how to read. The new me wants my retirement time to be fulfilling also. I want to help the Tin Man get a heart. Oh, but I cherish the morning coffee in my cozy chair too.
Susan also said: “Life after retirement is a series of events that I can create.” So for my present day, I am going to bake pumpkin bread and decorate for fall. Out with the conch shells! In with the gourds. But what’s this in the box marked Halloween? Look it’s the glazed jack-o-lantern my daughter made in high school ceramics class, and the year 1998 is stamped on the back. Dorothy is not following the yellow brick road.
My friend Sandy just told me, “I am still young at 65, but I can’t help thinking about what it will be like when I get to be even older.” Me too, I told her. This is not staying in the present.
Finally, I received this email from Horton. “As I pass the high tide mark on Savannah Road heading to see those whitecaps on the bay, the nine-foot-high water mark reveals this land is on loan. Savor every second like a butterfly landing on fat saffron goldenrod. A brilliant autumn sun hits from a lower angle to the horizon.
Picture this column like the closing segment on the television show “Sunday Morning” when just for a few seconds there is only a flutter of wings or the movement of sea oats, and be grateful for getting to choose what to do next.
Write to Lisa at lgraff1979@gmail.com.
