Tuesday November 10 2015  PRACTICING RETIREMENT

We are still practicing retirement.  For me that means waking without an alarm, lying in bed as long as I desire, having no duties to attend, no place to go, and a leisurely breakfast.  And we have actually been fortunate enough to do that occasionally during these past 4 months, but they weren’t all in a row. 

Today was one of those days.  But I was committed to going someplace, (the gym) but that was okay because I could go at the time I chose.  As wonderful as it was today I don’t think I would enjoy a long diet of such inactivity.  I would rather get up, get lots done, and then do some more!  If it weren’t for health reasons I could probably give up being a gym rat very easily.  However, that is one thing I must do if I enjoy feeling good, and that I do.

So other than eating the delicious soup for lunch that I made yesterday, and preparing all the ingredients to stir fry for my Ambrosia pizza topping for tonight’s dinner, I have not accomplished much else.  My elbow, (the torn triceps) had been feeling better until I woke this morning.  It has given me grief today.  Probably because I haven’t been wearing my sling and I did way too much yesterday.  So I am backing off the work for a bit and practicing retirement.  If I am practicing retirement at least I don’t need to feel guilty for being lazy, because if you really think about it, I am accomplishing something.  In order to get good at something you need to do a lot practicing.  I shall be a good student.

I am also planning to put into action the promise to myself to be in bed by 9:00 p.m. every night.  Except tonight, that is.  Political debates are being aired tonight and Dave and I want to hear all the debates from both parties so we will have some insight as to who the candidates are and what they stand for.  So, I plan to be READY for bed, so that at 10:00 p.m. when the debate is over, I can go directly to bed.  I always seem to awaken between 4:30 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. every day regardless what time I go to bed, and I need a full seven and a half hours sleep each night.  

I will say I am looking forward to Dave’s recovery which  hopefully be right around Christmas.  He has restrictions that limits what he can do until December 23^rd.  And the restrictions for my elbow use is until about the middle of December.  I am going to try to be very, very well behaved!  WE HAVE A LOT TO DO AFTER THE FIRST OF THE YEAR! We both want to be at our physical best.  Hey, I wonder sometimes if there is such a thing as “physical best” when you get our age.  Oh well, at least we’ll try.

I had an interesting experience last evening.  I drove by a house that is in our neighborhood where an older lady lives, who I have noticed for 29 years, as I drove to and from town.  To me she has always been old.  She is a widow, has a huge piece of land which is almost all grass, some flower beds and lots of scattered trees.  As a matter of fact, the golden tree with the sun hitting it that I posted in last night’s blog is on her property.  Last evening I stopped to take a picture of the tree.  As I slowly drove by her house I saw her, head tied with a scarf, and she was bundled from head to toe with warm clothing as she drove a tractor lawn mower alongside her long driveway.  Her house sits on a rise above the road.  I had never walked up there and I was surprised at how beautiful the view from her place was.  As a matter of fact, the trailers of corn that I took a photo of a few days ago and posted on the blog is the view across the highway from her house.  The sad part of this whole story is that having lived here for 29 years I had never met her.  I knew very little about her as she does not socialize in the neighborhood.  As I walked up her driveway she stopped her tractor and sat on the seat just staring at me as if I were an apparition.  The tractor motor was running as I approached her.  From a distance I could tell she was indeed very old by her wrinkles.  The closer I walked toward her, the more beautiful she became.  Her wrinkles were lovely on her porcelain skin.  Her eyes were clear and sparkling blue.  She did not crack a smile.  No telling what she was thinking.

I stood to the side of her mower and simply said hello (motor still running).  Finally, she turned her motor off, I said hello again, introduced myself as living in the “Benjamin House”.   It’s how everyone in the neighborhood identifies where you live, by saying the original owners name, of the house you live in.  I could see her visibly relax.  I don’t have a clue what I must have looked like to her in my workout clothes, a scarf blowing around my neck, and my red glasses upon my face.  My very red glasses!  Before the conversation was over I knew quite a bit about her life story.  I won’t go into it here but I will tell you that she is 91 years old.  She was on her tractor blowing acres of leaves into lines so she could pick them up.  That is a long and hard job.  She goes to West Virginia each winter.  She drives herself and is planning another trip in a couple of weeks.  People thought I was brave at my age to drive all over the country but I don’t hold a candlestick to this beautiful aged woman.  She was alert, quick to respond, and had such a twinkle in her eye.  I think she was delighted that I stopped by.  If it hadn’t been for this elbow situation I would have liked to have helped her pick up her leaves.  Our neighbors have so kindly taken pity on our physical conditions and have taken care of our bountiful leaves and now I’m wanting to take care of hers.  I even wish I could drive her to West Virginia.  She invited me to come back and visit.  Never once since I have lived here have I seen any other car in her driveway except her own.  Her vehicle appears to be 25 to 30 years old.  And she will drive it to West Virginia.  YOU GO GIRL!  I hope she comes back safely because I hope to be her friend.  I have felt drawn to her for a long time.  I finally acted on that feeling.  When I looked into her eyes it was as if I was looking into the eyes of my mother before she developed dementia.  I still miss my mama.

A good neighbor I have not been to her.  But now that I am retired I shall  practice being a good neighbor too.

STOP AND GREET A STRANGER

By Kathleen Martens

November 10, 2015

We never know what joy

Lurks around the next bend.

If we listen to our heart

We may just discover a friend.

Be open to what you feel,

Let your heart lead the way,

Stop and greet a stranger

It may be your lucky day.

Friends are hard to come by

And age is not a factor,

You might even find one

Sitting on a tractor.

It seems God has always graced me with older friends throughout my life.  I have walked with several of them to their graveside.  No matter the sorrow I felt at losing them, I was so fortunate to know these wizened souls while they were still on earth.  I learned so much from our conversations and through the events that we shared.  Many conversations still linger in my heart of all that was spoken to me by those who had lived decades longer than me.  One of my elderly friends named Jacqueline told me a piece of advice that she had received from a very old lady years before.  This older lady who spoke the wisdom had lived a very long life and had outlived all of her relatives, including her children, as well as all her friends and neighbors that she had known throughout her years.  She told my friend, “When you make new friends always make certain you make some friends who are younger than you”.  I have never forgotten that seed of wisdom and I have made certain to nurture friendships from those who are a generation behind me, and now, two generations behind me.  Her reason for telling my friend this was because as all her friends died, she was left with no one.  Perhaps I can be such a friend to the lady on the tractor. 

Remember, never cease to make new friends!

Good night and God bless you.