Retired Time

Anyone with retired parents knows what this is.



When you visit your folks, it is so easy to slide into this schedule if you are not careful. Even your dog will adapt to it. Go to bed late if they do. Up late if they are late risers. Breakfast? Whenever. Usually at 10:30. Lunch?

Maybe 2:00 PM. Dinner has to be at 5:00, because they live in a community now. Before they moved here, dinner might be at a fashionable 8:00 PM, or even 9!

But then, they have the wonderful luxury of just taking life as it comes.No pressures. They are done with that now. Those days of deadlines, meetings, schedules, lists (except for groceries and what they need to remember) are all in the past.


And I realize, they are blessed. So, instead of being frustrated that I am waking up at 9:45, that my alarm clock is not working (Abbie, my toy poodle is usually so reliable to have me up by 8 AM on the dot), I should kick back, and mellow out and enjoy this preview of "retired time". I can get my work done in the evening, while watching TV. I don't have to cook dinner in the evening, or do the dishes, since there is a diningroom to go to this evening.


I've taken my "chill pill". I'm going to enjoy the last few days of my visit here with my parents, enjoying my slice of retired time while I am here. When I get back home, it will be full steam ahead to get ready for Christmas, and the pace will be frantic enough. I will have to go back to doing a lot more cooking. (Although I have been doing a lot of cooking here, to give my Dad a break). And clean up. Abbie will have to start waking me up again early.

I'll have to let her know.