Every day is Saturday but with great power comes great responsibility

After 50 years of either going to school, working, or going to school and working at the same time, I’m finally retired. It’s only been a few weeks at this point, so it still just feels like being on vacation, but I really am officially retired.

Truly, every day is Saturday now, in that when I get up I have complete control of my agenda. Very powerful, but with great power comes great responsibility.

I still get up super early because my body is just used to it. The first thing I do is bring in the newspaper — yes, I still get an actual physical newspaper delivered every day — and then I stare at the front page to see what day and date it is. Do not think I’m kidding here.

When you are retired, and no longer tied directly into the work week, every day really does seem the same. So the first thing I do is get in my head the day of the week and the date, so I can at least have some semblance of connection to the working world.

At that point, I now have complete freedom to do what I want. Some days, I might bust out the guitar for an early morning practice. Other days, I might go for a power walk, or do calisthenics first.

Eventually, I’ll read the paper, have breakfast, and do the crossword and the other puzzles. Nice to have so much freedom to do what I want.

Then it’s time to see what the major part of the day will be. I might choose to work on some house project, or do some of the never-ending landscaping that comes with living in the suburbs, or work on one of the motorcycles.

If I have to go out, I always combine my trips. Much more productive, time-saving, and fuel efficient to do this if you can. For example, a trip might include a visit to the library (my favorite place), the post office, the home center, and then the supermarket.

One great thing about retirement is I now get to do these trips during the day when I’m refreshed and raring to go, rather than on the way home from work when I’m tired and so is everyone else. Hey, senior discounts are nice too, when I remember to ask for them, haha.

I’m a big reader. I average one book a week. Now that I have time, it would be so easy to sit outside in a chair and just read for hours.

Because of this propensity, I actually have to moderate my reading, so I don’t spend too much time on just this one activity. As much as I love it, there are other things to do, both for fun and that just need doing.

But “War and Peace,” “Anna Karenina,” “Crime and Punishment,” the complete Holy Bible, and many other large, highbrow classics that you never have time for when you are working, look out, ’cause I’m coming for you.

As you can imagine, my wife has had to make a big adjustment now that I’m home during the day. Let me say this about her: She is one busy gal. She is not sitting around eating bonbons and watching “Oprah,” as the stay-at-home housewife cliché goes.

During the day, she is always, and I mean always, cleaning, decluttering, or organizing something, often while multi-tasking by being on the phone, computer, cooking, etc. at the same time. I had no idea during my working life how hard she really works to make the house look presentable and not be too chaotic. Now if I can only learn how to keep up with her!

The other day, she came out with this pronouncement: “You are obsessive about the mail.”

This is because I know when the mail comes and I get it as soon as I can. Why do I do this? There are several magazines I get that I really like, but really it’s because of the vehicles I own.

Let me explain: I’ve gotten recall notices that my vehicle may have a seat belt, brake, or even exploding airbag problem (the shrapnel from a defective exploding airbag can kill you). When I get a recall notice, I call the dealer as soon as possible and schedule the work.

Why would you not want critical information such as this the earliest you can get it? So, yes, I am obsessive about getting the mail, because I like to stay on top of things. Better safe than sorry.

Much of my skill set from my working life is in high demand right now. My friends have even suggested I could get a gig working maybe three days a week, possibly all of it from home.

While that is intriguing in many ways, I think I’d rather move on to something else. Finding the right volunteer opportunities is something I’m working on. And if I do wind up doing something for pay, I’d rather it be in a completely different field. Why not try something new at this point?

I’ve been working on playing the guitar for the past three years. When working full-time, it was a struggle to get regular practice sessions in. Now, I’m shooting for 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes at night, every day.

Truly, it’s not so much the time you put in, but the regular practice that keeps you moving forward. No matter what you’re trying to learn, being persistent and consistent is the way to go.

We’re planning some travel, which is like a full-time job in and of itself. Remember back in the day when you just went somewhere?

Now you have to compare everything online first, research when the best times to travel are, get bookings and tickets, etc. What a hassle.

I’d be fine with getting in the car or on the bikes and just heading out to see what comes our way, but my level-headed and planning-oriented wife would never be happy just doing something off the cuff like that. Still, when you spend more time looking for wi-fi than for a nice picnic spot, you wonder if all the tech is really worth it.

Retirement so far is a lot of fun. So nice to not have to be at any specific place at a specific time anymore.

Do I miss the satisfaction of being on a team and getting projects done? Yes, no doubt.

But finding new things to learn, new things to do, and new places to go has its rewards as well. Wish me luck as I attempt to find the right balance between setting and achieving tasks and just relaxing with a good book, so I can use my precious time wisely.