It’s been two years since I said goodbye to the working world. And despite taking on a new job, I still consider myself “retired”. I figured the two-year anniversary of leaving a full-time job would be a good time to pause and reflect on all that’s happened.
I find that everyone I know who’s retired is often talking about how busy they are. It’s not like retirement is just sitting around watching movies and eating chocolate– it’s more like an opportunity to figure out what hobbies and interests will fill the 8-hour-a-day gap that used to be the workday. If there’s one thing I’ve discovered, it’s that filling that gap isn’t really all that hard. In two years, I think I might have been bored one day or maybe two. Other than that, there’s always been something to occupy my time.
My hobbies have certainly expanded. Photography continues to be a passion, and I’d like to think that I’ve become a little better at taking pictures. It helps that I live in an amazing outdoor area, of course. I’ve been working on post-processing, taking mediocre photos and making them slightly less mediocre. My camera’s been getting a workout, and it continues to be a great investment.
I’ve discovered the joy of board game design, and I’ve more or less wrapped up the mechanics of Hexteria. Now it’s time for the marketing. That means finalizing design and artwork, building a web site, launching a Kickstarter campaign, and seeing if I can convince a hundred people (my goal) to buy it. It’s been a pretty cool journey, and since I love board games (and have many friends who do as well), it plays well with another passion of mine. While I wait for the final design stuff to percolate a bit, I’ve already started work on two more games. My card game Saurs is probably a dead end, but now I’m working on one called Chronium. More news on that soon.
Drawing and cartooning has also been a surprising discovery. I wouldn’t have expected that, especially since I’m terrible at art and not very creative. My Far Far Away comic has languished a bit, relegated to the back burner in favor of some other projects, but I’m getting back into it. I’m also thinking about working on more “realistic” art, like landscapes, rather than staying with cartoons. That’s been inspired a bit by my friend Addi’s work.
Then there are the house projects. So. Many. Projects. Unlike our former houses, we’ve been actively making changes and updates to this one pretty much since the day we moved in. Carpeting, paint, countertops, home theater, generator, solar panels, fallen trees, the orchard, even things like poking at mystery switches… the list is enormous. I’ve learned a lot, particularly about electrical wiring, and I’ve put in a lot of hours. Some of those were frustrating, but many were rewarding. Our home continues to evolve, and sometimes I feel like it’ll evolve right up to the day we move out.
Teaching seminary is more than a hobby; it’s a part-time job. Both Pepper and I probably spend 20 hours a week preparing lessons, teaching class, and communicating with the kids and their parents. It’s all volunteer work, of course, and I wouldn’t quite call it a “hobby”, but it’s a big part of our week. We both love it. We also both love taking a break for the summer.
I’ve had more time to read, which has been interesting. I love reading, although I can’t do it for more than an hour or two before I get restless. Pepper and Kyra both read in what seem like marathon sessions– four or six hours at a stretch. That’s not my style, so even with more time I still make slow progress. I’ve re-read old favorites, and stumbled across some really great new favorites. Right now I’m in the middle of a book about quantum mechanics and superstring theory; after this I’ll probably re-read Dune which I last picked up in high school. There’s a movie coming out, after all.
Let’s not forget the outdoor stuff. Jet skis are a blast, as are kayaks and paddleboards. Flathead Lake is amazing– it’s the reason we moved here, after all– and with dozens of lakes all over the area, I’ve had no shortage of opportunities to spend time on the water. Even in the cold(ish) weather, with the frigid water, we’ve donned wetsuits and had fun. There are also plenty of hiking trails we’ve discovered, and who can argue with the breathtaking beauty of Glacier National Park? Yeah, I’ve been there a few times… at last count I think I’m at fifteen since moving here.
And there are so many other things. Remote board games with friends. In-person board games with other friends. Visiting our kids. Eating out. Doing web development just for fun. On and on. Sometimes the days seem a blur, and I wonder where the week went. Other times I notice my calendar is sort of empty in the days ahead, and think about what new hobby I might experiment with. It’s been a blur and a blast and a chance to start figuring out what I want to do for the next fifty years of my life.
Yep, retirement is pretty great. Five stars, would recommend.