Routines

As a teacher, I usually attended about a dozen summer workshops, and some years I taught summer school.  Of course I squeezed in all of my doctor and dentist appointments during this ever-shortening break. I tried to catch up with errands and housework.  So far my retirement has been just like a normal summer break except for the broken finger which makes most things take twice as long as they otherwise would.

One thing I have learned through the years is that if I establish a loose weekly/daily routine I feel more satisfied and relaxed throughout the summer.  I expect that this will be true of retirement also. Usually it takes me most of the summer to get my routine flowing.   I have given some thought to what needs to be part of my routine each day or each week so that I feel energized instead of harried, productive instead of mindless and lazy. The experiences that I think are important are for me to continue to develop are:

Creativity

Spirituality/Faith

Service/Usefulness

Gardening

Healthy Lifestyle

Intellectual Endeavors

Home Organization ( Maybe not so much, Hah)

Relaxation (this one shouldn’t be on the list because it is too easy)

 

I started retirement with the spirituality component by attending the retreat and am working at a daily routine to make sure I don’t neglect this area of my life.  Healthy Lifestyle is tough for me but needs to be tackled so that I will be physically able to do the other things I intend to do.  I don’t eat as many healthy foods as I should, and the weight I lost last summer crept back on me during the school year.  I despise exercise and usually injure some part of my anatomy when I attempt it. I started back to Weight Watchers this week after discovering yet again that just paying the fees without counting the points doesn’t cause the pounds to melt away.  Now I need to figure out what time of the day will work best for me to walk and to start building strength in my core and the muscles around my weak knees.  I will check in next Friday with myself and whoever reads this blog to see how that is going!

 

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