Stevie Szabad, Author

I re-read the earlier post about retirement in Year 6 musings, and must admit, it’s been an eventful year of change since. As noted before, by about years 5-6-7, I no longer felt, nor do I now feel, “retired”. I’m just living life at the stage I find myself. Retirement goals of becoming a published author, check. More family time, check. Travel, check. Activities and sports and entertainment, check, check, check.

But not everything has worked out as anticipated.

Authoring and Writing has not recovered for me this year. Oh, some blog posts here and there. A short story published in my writing group anthology. But no new book, nor is there one in the works. It is stressful sometimes to think about – that I’m “failing” at a retirement dream, but I’m working on getting over that thought. I’m busy and enjoying other things now. And if writing isn’t a priority now, so what? The reading is still great.

Health remains a top priority. Food must be kinder to evolving (aging?) digestive demands. Vitamins have been added. Exercise is modified to a gentler regime, (still a regime!), to avoid overdoing and excessive recovery downtime. Same with the curling leagues – I’m only 65 and it’s encouraging that I play with those in their 80’s. It’s always fun to be the young one! My knees remind me that young is a relative term. I notice the aches last longer now.

Family time now includes “work days” with those elder parents who now live out their own last stages in care homes. This topic deserves its own post; suffice to say, this duty of care was never on my younger working-self’s radar. I’m trying now to prepare my own children for such eventualities, but like every generation, I’m sure things will simply work out as they will. And the grandson at 4 years old is much less of a chore to babysit. (Admit it, diapers and sleep deprivation are for the parents, not the grandparents!) Taking him to movies or watching his hockey games is a greater pleasure than I ever imagined. As the old require more work, the young provide more enjoyment. The cycle of life is a real thing.

I still travel. The travel trailer is gone now. The balance of wonderful experience vs. care and maintenance tipped over. Now we cruise. I love it. Like I loved the travel trailer! More expensive, but that brings me to money.

Funny, money used to be a first priority, but the older I get, the lower it becomes. Because, after all, it doesn’t have to last as long now, does it? I now plan to spend more, not to get to zero, as is a popular goal, but to enjoy what it was saved for. Life, living, and enjoying every stage of it. Guilt, and work and health issues and all.

See you next year! Want more? Books