So Much To Be Thankful For

Last Wednesday, I flew to Toronto to visit the Holmizones in Waterloo  for Thanksgiving.   What a great week it was.  It was full of rest, relaxation and reconnection.

Markets full of bounty, a house full of renovations, days full of warmth and sunshine.  Walks and talks and turkey and pumpkin and pecan pies and hot tubs and morning coffees and crosswords and Netflix.   A ride in a Porsche and a Highlander.   Pumpkins, gourds and a corn maze.   Buggy sightings and “broasted” chicken.  Oktoberfest celebrations and a Sunday matinee of “Billy Elliot” at Stratford.

But mostly lots of love and laughs and gratitude and reconnection.   What better way to fill your days.   I’m such a lucky guy!

2 1/2 Weeks Since My Last Adventure

I just checked the calendar.   It’s only been 2 1/2 weeks since I got home. And I am off again.   Thanksgiving in Waterloo with the Holmizones.   Can’t wait.  I always have such a great time with them.  I am interested to see what their new life is like.   

I have enjoyed these weeks.   I’ve seen “Little Shop Of Horrors”at the Broadway, Elton John’s Farewell Tour at SaskPlace, been to 2 Piano Friday’s at the Bassment, seen “Joker”, been to the dentist(....on a Wednesday afternoon-crazy!), taken a stained glass class (from my “To Do When Retired” List) and loved it....want to take more, seen Patty and Marilyn and Ken and Marlene and Deed and Fran and Susan, had Solstice rehearsals, caught up on many of my “stories.”  And not once have I missed being at work!

Time is taking on a new meaning.  I am loving the mornings.    Waking at your own pace is wonderful.   I’m finding it “difficult” to get anything accomplished before 10:00 am.  😆...and I like it.   

Every day seems to be better than the day before.  I hope that feeling never goes away.  

                             

No Regrets

Upon my departure from San Diego for this time, I am considering all the things I would have missed had I not retired.   All those walks on the Cliffs and on the beach; all those morning lattes and crosswords; breakfast with the Murisons; the Padres game and visiting and books and shows and movies and plays and fish tacos and swims and yoga classes.

Also not lost on me, is  what a bullet I dodged as JLA lost a teacher due to enrolment  decline, that more than likely would have been me, who ended up at Egnatoff for the year.   Omg....what a nightmare that would have been!!

And so, I take that as a sign that I am on the right path and made the right decision.   Cause, damn, it sure feels right.   Every day is better than the day before.    I wish everyone could experience such total contentedness.   It’s a wonderful thing. 

And now I leave my happy place, where it feels like you can drink or swim in the air, where I feel completely and totally satisfied and I am reminded of when I left here 7 years ago when I was on my deferred salary leave as I made my way to Washington DC and I remember sitting outside at night writing in the blog about my month here and it feels the same.  I was equally as content, happy, fulfilled as I am now.   I think not leaving and returning to work helps tremendously.   My good fortune continues.   Onward and upward, to more great days!!  

RETIREMENT BY NUMBERS

Minimum Daily Minutes Walked:  90

Days Of Fun In The Sun In San Diego; Morning Lattes Consumed:  27

Yoga ClassesAttended:  17

Books Read: 3.  (7 1/2 Deaths Of Evelyn Hardcastle, The Woman In Cabin 10, Where The Crawdads Sing)

Dolphins Seen During My Walks:  5

Beaches Attended:  4. (Sunset Cliffs, Coronado, Ocean Beach, Torrey Pines)

Netflix Series Watched:  3.  (Wentworth, Dead To Me, Orange Is The New Black)

Plays and Movies Seen:  2. (Kiss My Aztec, Almost Famous;  Downton Abbey, The Goldfinch)

Fitbits Worn Out And Needed Replacing/Padres Games Attended/Massages/Accupuncture/Cupping Treatments:  1.

Fish Tacos Eaten; Times “Senorita”, “Dancing With A Stranger”, “I Don’t Care”, “You Need To Calm Down”, “Sucker” and “ Speechless“ Heard On The Radio; Crossword Puzzles/Word Jumbles Completed:  Countless 

Fucks Given: 0  Absolutely none. 😂

Monday, August 21, 2019: It Finally Arrived

I have been waiting for this day for years.  Literally.  It marks my first “real” day of being retired because everyone returned to work today.   It feels freeing (and weird).
I flew to San Diego on Saturday morning...

so that I could mark this day by waking up here this morning to this view

and then for my first breakfast as a “free man” at Peets.   

I then enjoyed some quiet time, reading and relaxing at the condo, listening and watching the surf crash outside, a walk along the cliffs to “my spot for some quiet reflection and then  a 90 minute massage with Himanshu.  OMG-he is freaking amazing!  

 An Arnold Palmer after, moved to the pool house and a nice walk along the cliffs at sunset made for a pretty perfect day.   

Who knows what tomorrow has in store?