Free time
15 Jan 2012 2 Comments
in food and drink, leisure time, musings, nature, photographs, places, poetry, relaxation, retirement, shopping Tags: bakery, bridges, neighborhoods, reading, tea shop, walking
I love being retired! And with it comes a welcome and refreshing amount of free time; time to do the things I had always dreamed about doing, and sometimes not really doing much at all. Either way, it is my choice, what I decide to do with all my time – my treasure chest of free time.
My answer to a question
The question was asked of me
“What do you do with all your time?”
Well, today I journeyed to the park
I packed a bag full of books and filled my water bottle
And after I grew weary of reading
I lay down on the carpet of lush green grass
Closing my eyes, I saw my surroundings with my ears
There were cars driving by, and buses loudly humming
The bicycle man drove by shouting out “ice cream!”
Wind enticed the leaves into conversation
I heard flashing lights of red and blue from the frantic fire truck
Then I opened my eyes
I saw the trees waving hello to me
Their long branches heavy with abundant leaves
Creating a canopy over me, gently shading the sunlight
And I saw people like me, in the park
Doing what they will do with their time
Once more I was asked
“What do you do with all your time?”
Well, today I journeyed to the river
I sauntered along the river walk for a time
Then I grew weary and retired to a bench
And I watched a yellow kayak float by
It reminded me of a banana floating on the water
I listened to the gulls
Complaining to one another
About the lack of food the tourists feed them nowadays
And I noticed the bridges
Lined up like stiffened arms reaching across the water
The one made of dark black steel beckoned to me
So I accepted its invitation of safe passage
And crossed from west to east
My view of places is altered
I see where I was; downtown buildings dot the landscape
The esplanade I walk down shifts and floats with the river
And I see people walking along, just like me
Doing what they will with their time
The persistent questioning continues
“What do you do with all your time?”
Well, today I grabbed some money and a credit card (just in case)
And I journeyed to the mecca of quaint shops, eateries and other delights
That make up my neighborhood
I zig zag in and out of stores
Some offer such pretty summer clothes
But look! I found a new hat!
The tea shop up the wooden stairs has the most delicious teas
But today was hot, and I had a cold beer instead
Sitting at a sidewalk table
And one more stop before I go home
The bakery – with the macaroon cookies – their specialty
I wait in line behind all the people
Doing what they will with their time
So now I have a question for you
What do you do with all your time?
Peering inside of ourselves
12 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in musings, philosophy, quotes, relationships, retirement Tags: careers, divorce, family life, favorite quotes, life changes, philosophers, wonderers
One of my favorite quotes comes from Socrates – “The unexamined life is not worth living.” For many years I lived an unexamined life, caught up in the time consuming world of a career, family and everything else that prevented me from really stepping back into some quiet moments and trying to figure out, what is life really all about? When I did find those quiet moments, I discovered I had buried so many wonderful treasures of my inner self that were now dying to come out. I found I needed to do some housecleaning in my life, in the manner of ending my marriage, ending my career, and living life on my own terms that I had pushed aside for so long. Not everyone needs to go through such drastic life changes to examine their lives, but it is important that we not only focus on our loved ones, but also on ourselves, in an unselfish act of love.
Wonderers and Wanderers
These are my kind of people!
A bit off center, off the mark
Unconventional
Defined as “eccentric”
The wonderers
The wanderers
Peering through our telescopes and periscopes and kaleidoscopes and other aides that enhance our vision
Perusing
Pondering
Perplexing and flexing ideas
Pushing forward – land ho!
We know about the mole people
In their tunnels of well dug mediocrity
They come above, at times, to dwell in our world of idiosyncrasies
But they are much happier in their circuitous mazes and labyrinths of shaded and sheltered existence
The scary safety of society
But wonderers and wanderers require much more than the daily special to thrive
Not blindly accepting society’s tape loop of conventional ways
We find our way out of the mazes and labyrinths they construct to try and fool us
We are much wiser than those simplistic paths
We can navigate our way out of them blindfolded!
We are explorers!
Visionaries
Philosophers of ancient days tap me on the shoulder
Wanderlust fills up my dance card
Life is full of uncharted territory and never ending questions
With a horn of plenty that spills out a bounty of answers, all of them the right ones
Travels and treks and excursions to new places
Gallivanting and gathering
I boldly declare
That I shall spend my remaining days on this earth
In the very pleasant company
Of those like myself
Who seem to wonder in ambivalence
And wander in ambiguity
The watch and phone stay at home
14 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in leisure time, musings, relationships, retirement, transportation Tags: adventures, conversation, phone, time, walking
A few months ago I moved 1600 miles away, to Portland, Oregon; retired and looking for new people, new places and new adventures. Portland has not disappointed the adventuress in me. Every day I venture out on foot; a new mode of transportation I have discovered. I walk and walk, and talk and talk to those who will engage in conversation with me. But I have two rules when I leave home to explore: Rule number one is to leave my cell phone on the dresser, and rule number two is that the wearing of a watch is not allowed. How can I interact and connect with my fellow Portlanders if my phone interrupts our lovely conversations? My friends and family back in Minnesota can make use of the wonderful phone tool called voicemail. And this blessed gift of time called retirement frees me from having to embrace the illusion of time – and I have learned what an illusion it truly is. I can set off to the park with a good book or my writing materials, and when I finally return home and look at the clock I realize how many minutes and hours have slipped away while I was engrossed in the present moment. I realize timekeeping has a purpose in this earthly realm, but when I can step out of it, it is so freeing. That goes for the technology of cell phones also; they are certainly useful and needed at times. But I find that in meeting new people in my new home, I much prefer the connectedness of years gone by – face to face, eyes to eyes, smile to smile.
