Tuesday, July 15 Off the personal map

Post 1233, Day 196 of 2014
- 1,292 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

What would I do if I retired tomorrow? 

I think that's a good question, given that it is a possibility, albeit a remote one. The only reason I have for not retiring tomorrow are that I am enjoying my life as it is right now. Retirement wouldn't enable me to do more than what I enjoy doing now. 

My retirement planning so far has consisted of financial planning, including research into places I could afford to live at my current middle class, bourgeois level - and without a car. 

But the fact is, is I don't have a good feel for what I would do with all the free time I would have.

Since I started kindergarten, the only time I've had the kind of free time that retirement brings with it has been while on vacation.

I don't have a clue how I'd spend all that much time. Sure, I have a little list of things I'd like to do (learn to play the upright bass, get better on guitar, have a repertoire of songs to sing and play. Hmm - all music stuff. Telling).

But I could do that now - I have some spare time - but don't. Also, those things are things I would need to do when I settled down somewhere in retirement. I can't be travelling internationally (what I intend to do first when I retire, as I look for an ideal spot to hang out without employment or money pressure) with that kind of baggage.

This has been a recognized theme of mine since I first started considering retirement. I decided early on, just about 20 years ago, that I would not want to retire in this country. At the time, the big motivation for leaving was the way I perceived the US treats (culturally, at least) the non-wealthy aged. But over time, that has become less of a concern for me.

For now, all I can say about what I'll do with that time is this: I'll find out. I have the first retirement baby-steps sort of planned: Travel. First, around North America, visiting friends and family - a kind of farewell road-trip. Then, travel to the first most-appealing retirement destination my research has turned up; which I will repeat until satisfied.

I also already know my first priority in retirement: Get healthy and maintain my health. I've ruled out every place where good health care is not readily available, or where the terrain or climate .

Retirement will be on a journey of self-discovery. Not having to earn a living is uncharted territory for me. What will I do when there is nothing I have to do? Who will I be when my time is entirely self-regulated?

I guess we'll find out, but probably not tomorrow. 

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 Food and Diet Section

2014 Daily Weight

Today's Weight:         208.2 lbs

Previous Weight:        209.2 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:      - 1.0 lbs

Diet Comment

Back to getting the weight off.

Food Log 

Breakfast

Quest bars.

Lunch

Roasted turkey on baby kale, baby spinach, chard and cole slaw mix with balsamic vinaigrette.

Snack

Quest bar.

Dinner
At Sophistications jam session: An open corned beef sandwich with sauteed peppers and onions, and sweet potato chips. Big fail, no matter how I look at it, but I was hungry, and the club has a two-item minimum.

Snack

Ezekiel 4:9 Flax toast and butter.

Liquid Intake

   Coffee:  28 oz.   Water: 94+ oz.

Please leave a comment if you visit my blog. Thank you!