Hello, everyone! I promised something a little lighter this time, so here goes!
As I mentioned earlier, I am writing these initial blogs from Roatan! Dave is a fish, er, uh, a scuba diver! I am, well let’s just say I definitely am NOT! This particular trip is at a resort that is diver centric…the resort has its own boats that go out twice a day, every day, all part of the package! I have to admit when we first arrived, I was a bit disappointed…it isn’t as “posh” as some of the resorts we have been to, and, knowing I would be hanging around entertaining myself while Dave was diving, I kind of wondered what I was to do. Getting out to do other activities is possible, but not quite as accessible as in other places we have been.
However, after a couple of days I melded into the diver lifestyle…not as in actual diving (remember, I do not put my head underwater!), but in the culture of the people here. This isn’t a place people come to impress each other with their cute wetsuits and model figures. These have turned out to be real people, mostly middle- to senior- aged people just having fun (my kind of people – one thing about being close to or in retirement age for many people, I think, is freedom to be yourself and not have to impress or compare…probably another blog topic!). The only younger people are teens who are very polite and well behaved. The staff are all so friendly and there are beautiful spots for me to walk, take my computer, and write, read and research and just watch the beautiful ocean.
But, in spite of all of this, I am finding that while I am definitely enjoying the temporary respite from the stress of my job, and while I love having the time and freedom to read, write, etc. as I want to, I think I need more structure than this. Especially while I am waiting for Dave to come back from his dives, I am trying to make my plan and choose my spot from among many lovely ones (I know, tough problem to have!) to do what I am going to do. Then if I get done or get tired of that activity sooner than I expect, then I am trying to decide “now what?”
So, I think this is God’s way of showing me that I will still need some level of structure at least most of the time when I retire.
I have a few things on my list that I think should help me in this (if you are just joining this blog, please go back and read at least the May 20 and June 1, 2018 blogs (See “Previous posts” link on this site) so you know what “the list” is, because I don’t want you to get lost in that question! LOL!). Those things I would like to do include:
• Every other week, each of my husband or I will plan for some particular activity for us both to share
• Cooking meals as a joint activity, with each planning some of the meals (perhaps we can even take a cooking class!)
• Exercise plans, including walking and weight work outs at least 3-4 times a week
• Planned Bible study and devotionals both together and individual.
I guess the key to these things is some level of consistency but with lots of room for spontaneity too, individually and as a couple. However, one thing I know I do NOT want is a schedule so full I yearn for the good old days of work! I want…just enough!
Think about your own needs – do you like total spontaneity every day, or do you expect you will like some structure?
There’s a lot of detail to think about to this retirement preparation thing, isn’t there?! And, as we talked about in the blog on June 5, 2018, also in planning what we want to do in ALL phases of our life! But it is fun to think about and plan…that is why we are on this journey together!
Have a great day – see you next time!
Mary