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7 Months Into Retirement
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By Tom Osborn
There’s something really (really) peaceful about lolling about in a very gentle swell at a beautiful beach and, for the benefit of most Retirement Life Matters readers, I should add “during our wonderful Australian summer”. Lakes are basically flat (even if they’re choppy) and they have no inherent rhythm. There’s no lolling about possible in a big surf – excitement and sometimes danger but no lolling. Yesterday, though, I was at a beautiful beach with clean yellow sand, crystal clear water, no wind, a glassy smooth sea and the gentlest of swells pulsing in to the shore.
I waded out to about waist deep and lay down in the water (not too warm, not too cold) and allowed myself to float up and down on the unbroken green waves which had just enough energy to nudge themselves onto the beach. I could see fish dancing between the light sparkles around me. A few birds were wading about on the rock shelf at one end of the beach. At the other end a lighthouse stood above the brightly coloured cliffs. It was unbelievably tranquil and put me in a contemplative mind about how I’m going with my semi-retirement, seven months down the track.
This was my first “overnight retirement adventure” and although it was very low key (I just took off on my own mid-week for a couple of days at a holiday house we share with friends) I think it was a bit symbolic. I was happy to leave full-time work as I was approaching 60 and I said I was going to start doing some trips away from our home in Melbourne, to spend more time doing things I love in the outdoors: landscape photography; bicycle touring; and surfing. Somehow* it had taken me seven months to get away and there wasn’t even any surf but it was still delightful.
* “Somehow” includes some sickness, an overseas trip, finalising leftover tasks from our house renovation, a little bit of casual work, breaking my arm by falling off my bicycle, but also being rather disorganised in the sudden luxury of all this “free time”. (I gather Cathy has a few things to say about that issue)!
There’s a lot I haven’t achieved yet. I haven’t even sorted through the stuff I brought home when I left work and as I lolled in the water yesterday I had to agree with my wife (she’s mentioned this one, two or was it twenty times) that getting my study organised would be a first step in getting myself organised. But rather than tell you any more about what I haven’t done (there’s a lot on my “how I want to use the rest of my life” list) let’s move on to what I have been doing.
I’ve accepted a second year as President of my local environment group and now with more time I want to achieve more than last year. I’ve also got more involved in our religious community, joining the newsletter committee and organising and/or writing a few articles. And I’ve joined a couple of bicycle networks who do mid-week rides that interest me. As well as doing something I love (cycling) this provides a social outing and talking to other semi-retirees has also led to some tips on casual job opportunities. And I’m doing an eight day cycling tour in South-Western Australia in a few weeks.
Looking back over my first seven months into retirement I can certainly see that I could have achieved more but I’m not going to be too hard on myself. I feel I’m moving in the right direction and I’m looking forward to the journey.
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