Retirement is another word for living for the moment

     We've all heard people say they don't know how they had time to work before they were retired.
     Now I know what they mean.
     I am working sporadically on a couple of novels, have written two short stories in the past several weeks, penned four or five poems, have enrolled in a digital photography class at Carroll Community College and find myself thoroughly engaged in a discussion/lecture group called Great Decisions at McDaniel College one day a week.
     I have breakfast with friends at least twice a week, regularly have lunch with someone and get out to dinner at least once a week with another couple.
     Our grandchildren are up to here in school functions, soccer, dance, theater and ballet, some of which we catch, and in between times, we all  gather for dinner or a cookout.
     Two stacks of novels on the table beside my best chair await their turn, and I have about 30 hours of television programs from the History Channel, The Learning Channel, Discovery and National Geographic to either watch or delete before the cooking shows fill out the DVR's memory.
     I enjoy cooking dinner, and so I enjoy going to the grocery store, and visit there several times a week, rather than pile up stuff that will rot in the refrigerator. Even so, I have found some cans in the pantry that I stocked up several years ago, and they need a proper burial.
     My spouse is a retired teacher who, it turns out, did not retire so much as change venue, and she volunteers one day a week at Shepherd's Staff, so that leaves Fridays for our "together" errands, usually starting with breakfast out.
     The money just reaches, but that's okay; there will come a time when we will not feel like going hither and yon, and we might as well enjoy our pensions while we can.
     I am neither bragging nor complaining; I always said there is no excuse for being bored, and no such thing as having nothing to do. When I hear young people complain about "nothing for kids to do," I would be more than willing to introduce them to some opportunities.
     You don't need a lot of money to satisfy your curiosity and explore an ever changing world, and if you aren't curious, stop thinking of yourself as the center of the universe and look around, and listen, and be filled with wonder.