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I recall an older couple who lived next door to me in a multi family home. They moved to a senior apartment (I've told this story before). They regretted their move and said they should have "stayed where there was life."
That's exactly why Liz and I will probably stay in our house for a long time. Over the years we've become the elder statesmen/stateswomen of our community as our community continues to turn and get younger. But, we like being among young people and their children. It helps to keep us young. I wish the kids would play street ball like we did in Brooklyn. I'd ask to play 2nd base ( I used to play 3rd, but I can't reach 1st with a throw anymore).
After retiring I sat around for 3 months and went crazy. Yeah, I rode my bike but not all day. I'm not big on volunteering. I did enough of that when my kids were in school. I did serve on some boards in my community but I wanted something that I really liked to do. So, I started a detaIing business. I loved to detail my cars so I took those skills to a higher level and found a great detailing website where I found out so much more than I ever knew. Great products, tutorials and people. I work out of my garage, In fact, we are moving to a new house when we return from Florida which has a big garage. I already have LED lighting I took from my last garage. I will be laying a soft vinyl tile floor which is warm and helps with fatigue.Then a Mitsubushi split Heat/AC unit. I pick up and return my vehicles which allows me to drive some awesome cars. I detail 1 a day and 3-4 per week. I have made a lot of contacts and will be having dinner while we are in Naples with a customer who owns several nice Porsche's I detail. In cold weather I am a driver for a local BMW, Mercedes and Chrysler dealer. I am having a website built when I return from Florida.
That's exactly why Liz and I will probably stay in our house for a long time. Over the years we've become the elder statesmen/stateswomen of our community as our community continues to turn and get younger. But, we like being among young people and their children. It helps to keep us young. I wish the kids would play street ball like we did in Brooklyn. I'd ask to play 2nd base ( I used to play 3rd, but I can't reach 1st with a throw anymore).
I played street ball while growing up in Baltimore Rob. Great memories of those days. Kids today don't know what they missed.
I have found that in retirement it is as important to maintain your social self as your physical well being. Suddenly a large percentage of the time you spend interacting with others is greatly reduced, as you are no longer working with others on a daily basis. This is even more true for those of us who are not members of a church or a fraternal organization. I participate in Thai Chi classes and participate in a pool league and I am always on the lookout for other group activities. And of course, I have my many friends here on s2ki, the only real "social networking" I do.
I've not "worked" in a "job" since I quit in 1987 when I had my daughter. Since then my social fix has come from volunteering and taking classes on occasion. The internet and Facebook have introduced me to people I've met in person, including many here.
Certainly there are activities that I once did that I can no longer do or hate the risk of doing them. For example, we live on a very tree heavy lot and I have always cleaned off with a leaf blower the part of the house roof and MG garage roof - - lots of small broken branches that in turn catch leaves that in turn build up into ice damns in the winter. With my screwed up ankle and hip replacement I know I shouldn't keep doing that . . . but I do. The wife gets mad at me. Just like yesterday when she was screaming at me for driving too fast. I wouldn't have been driving that fast in my truck but heck it was her car.
I have to push myself to take my now daily 30-minute walks due to my ankle pain. Unless I find a solution ankle pain may prevent me from doing long trips in the MG, if so, I'll just have limit driving to day trips. When it comes to working on MG projects I often have to limit myself to about 3-hours. I hate the jobs that require me to get up and down off the floor due to my hip. I've learned to crawl my way up when I have that option. Still I have a long list of things that need replaced like front shocks, etc. I have a number of younger MG friends that can give me hand and often some jobs turn out to be as much fun as they were when I was 20.
Since I have lots of "inside" hobbies - oil painting, genealogy, building model cars, etc. - winter's usually pass fast for me. Spring comes and I enjoy getting out and working in the yard (no condo's for us). I "really" believe being out and about with people is a key thing. We meet up with a group on Friday nights and shoot the shit - none are what I would call close friends but we enjoy their company. We have several really close friends in the MG group.
You see this old codger that's lecturing me - Neil was born in 1925 and he's been hero since I met him 43 years ago. He is 94 years young and you want to know what his current project is? He is remodeling his kitchen for the second or third time since I've known him. He is doing all the work, just like every project he takes on. One of his best kept secrets is he never ever talks about his aches or pains or health or surgery or anything like that. Got'a love 'em.
Finally, here is some ideas for those who are bored.
I was fortunate to really love my job and the people I worked with. It was like a close-knit family. We all seemed to have the same interests, especially for having a good time, both at work, and after, especially Friday night happy hours!
I still keep in touch with a lot of my previous co-workers, even though I have been retired 11 years now. I guess it's because we survided numerous buy-outs, management changes, and rough times. It's a unique bond.
I was fortunate to really love my job and the people I worked with. It was like a close-knit family. We all seemed to have the same interests, especially for having a good time, both at work, and after, especially Friday night happy hours!
I still keep in touch with a lot of my previous co-workers, even though I have been retired 11 years now. I guess it's because we survided numerous buy-outs, management changes, and rough times. It's a unique bond.
Sounds good. All the people we hang with on Fridays are in one way or another connected to where I worked. We have a lot in common, have been to one another's homes, know their kids, etc. but I would not want to count on any of them in the event I really needed a true good friend. There was one or two that at one time I might have said were close but they too have moved on...
I played street ball while growing up in Baltimore Rob. Great memories of those days. Kids today don't know what they missed.
I loved summer nights playing outside in my neighborhood growing up! The good ol' days of knock-knock-knock, "Can Anne (or ?) come out and play?" If I called Anne on the phone her parents would always get mad. She had four older brothers, one just a month older than me and my first crush when I was about 10 years-old: Bill. Does anyone remember the song?
I meet Bill, again, about 10 years ago when I went to a family gathering of Anne's . Bill looked and acted like a fleshy, boring drunk. I got the impression his wife was very unhappy.
Among other things as a kid I loved going to a dirt lot and having a dirt clod fight with Anne's brothers and my brother's friends, roller skating with Anne, playing hide-and-seek in the neighborhood, or in the framing of a new apartment building going up a block away, playing Pickle-in-the-middle or, as teenage years were in full swing, streaking with the same kids.
I agree. I can definitely state that I mind a lot of things these days...cold weather, long stair flights, ignorant young-ens, noisy neighbors, gangsta rap, incompetent sales clerks.....
I agree. I can definitely state that I mind a lot of things these days...cold weather, long stair flights, ignorant young-ens, noisy neighbors, gangsta rap, incompetent sales clerks.....
I didn't like most of those things even when I was younger
03-06-2019, 11:02 AM
