I don’t know about you, but free time – truly free time – doesn’t come around all that often. Since I am retired, family and friends that are not retired yet, seem to have the idea that those that are retired have all the time in the world at our fingertips. But they are sorely wrong.
As a retiree, I still do the housewife chores or duties, such as laundry, cooking, dishes, grocery shopping, cleaning the house, taking care of the indoor plants, and caring for the pets. When my husband worked full-time, I also mowed the lawn weekly and cared for the maintenance of the cars.
Currently, I belong to several neighborhood groups – the bunko group, book club, foodies & friends, and prayer shawl group at my church, which meet monthly. I'm also meeting with other writers every couple of weeks at the library and learning so much from other authors.
Do you get to partake in your favorite things? Over the past year, despite the Pandemic, I’ve learned to play the game of pickleball. So, I have now added playing with a great group of friends, one to three times per week, depending on weather and court availability. This has been so much fun, and you do feel like you’ve had a good workout.
Another favorite thing that I love is meeting a friend for lunch or dinner with other couples. Recently that’s been harder to do as we know several people that have contracted the new COVID-19 variant. The variant symptoms don’t seem as devastating, but when your body is compromised, as my husband just had surgery, you tend to stay sheltered as much as possible and continue wearing your mask.
Reading is another particular way I use my free time. There are so many great authors today, and I am working hard to complete my memoir, shooting for the end of 2022. Not sure that is possible, but I’m making a concerted effort.
Many of my neighbors enjoy running in their free time. I’ve never been fond of long-distance running. However, I have a neighbor who enters marathons and other long-distance runs, like the Leadville, Colorado 100-mile race conducted in the Rocky Mountains. Each leg of the race is timed, and if you don’t make it to the mark each day in a certain amount of time, you’re disqualified and unable to finish the race.
While writing this blog, the song “Free Ride” continues to pop into my head. Free Ride was written by Dan Hartman and sung by The Edgar Winter Band in 1973. “Free Ride” can literally be a road trip, but it is really a spiritual journey. Nonetheless, free time and a free ride are two different things.
Whenever possible, I encourage you to use your free time however you wish – mainly to relax and rejuvenate.
