How a to-do list helps…

Okay, so life in the working world ended; what TO DO next?

Although I considered my wife and myself to be pretty well off when we retired, and by that I mean that we eat well enough, we have a decent car, we are (relatively speaking) out of debt, and we little more than live comfortably in our 55+ modular home community with as many as 519 other tenants like ourselves; some richer, some poorer, but all part of a beautiful retirement village.

THE ORIGINAL KITCHEN (click to enlarge)

When we bought our home in 2017, it was very dated. A one-owner, twenty one year old 1996 model Jacobson home, it had all of the original furnishings, floors, and fixtures. For us, that created an immediate to-do list.

Using most of our funds at hand, we gutted, refinished, and re-furnished the interior, and a few months later were able to move in. However, there were still plenty of items on the list, consequently, over the next few ‘years’ we continued improvements.

Remove the dying shrubs and hedges Have curbing installed Plant new hedging Pour stone in the hedge beds Plant a flower garden in and around the trees Make a workshop in the storage shed Insulate the patio roof	Insulate the roof above the shed Replace the drain-pipe between the houses Have to roof redone Replace the interior doors and woodwork Add a wall between the MBR and MB Install crown molding

THE NEW KITCHEN (click to enlarge)

For many, that may be a list of things to have someone do for them, but for us, I was fortunate enough to do many of them myself, which saved us a lot of money. Logically, many are not trained for, and, or perhaps, are not physically capable of such work. Even so, having such improvements on your list of things to have done is something plan and look forward to.

If such things are not on your future agenda, what else is there? Perhaps you have tried video games? Subscribing to Microsoft’s Xbox Gamepass, I find things like, virtual pool tables, archery, even fishing. Or how about writing your memoirs? I know of a particular lady who published her first book at 90. If nothing else, leave a written legacy to your children or family.

Our community provides several outdoor activities including horseshoes, shuffleboard, pickleball, tennis, and swimming. Beyond these, the clubhouse offers crossword puzzles, playing cards, dominos, mahjong, a reading library, pool tables, poker games, bunco, knitting, quilting, day trips, lunches, coffee socials, bingo, etc., as well as various special programs, and of course, simply socializing.

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Activity, regardless of your situation, extends your life!

With six years of retirement under our belt, we are by no means ‘old veterans’ at it. Currently in our early 70’s and in relatively good health, we could go living as long as…well, who knows? We have to expect the best and accept the worst.

So how do we sustain ourselves for the long run?

By having things to do!

For example: Ed Vrona, one of the dearest friends we had in our community, recently died at the age of 104. What kept him going? — He did! Always having something to do, he kept busy at what he wanted to accomplish. A positive attitude, and a positive outlook on ‘tomorrow.’

His daughter once wrote about him:

They (he and his wife) were committed to healthy activities; always biking, dancing, and swimming. (Also) … an accomplished woodworker making an estimated 100 + wooden angels he has gifted to friends and family over the years. He firmly believes he has a guardian angel that has been on his shoulder watching over him throughout his 103 years. To this day … is still committed to physical activity, riding his recumbent bike for 40 minutes each day. People ask his secret to a long happy life, he says he has always been lucky, but believe(s) he makes his own luck! He also believes that what you give to people, comes back 100-fold.

So, okay! Living to 104 is a stretch…

…but as long as we have some life left in us, we want to live it, and there is no better way to do that by filling each day the things you love to do, as proven by our 104 year old friend.

A list of what I do:

Set up a workshop,
Take on a part-time job,
Volunteer work,
Do home repairs for myself and others,
Clubhouse activities,
Socialize, make friends,
A blog page and a lot of writing,

Or follow my wife’s example,

Learn to invest money in the stock market, it doesn’t take much to start,
Do online research into topics that interest you,
Writes her own blog page articles,
She always has things to do in the home,
Shopping,
Cooking,
Housekeeping,

Anything that strikes your interest. Many enjoy involvement in community affairs like the HOA board, and as mentioned, team activities at the clubhouse, and traveling together. All of these things can be part of an active and healthy TO DO LIST!

Retirement is NOT a destination!

We have begun a new journey, and for many of us, it will be last we embark upon. The joy of it is filling each day with the things we enjoy most, and most of which don’t require a lot of money. But, if you are among those who can enjoy cruises and trips, making the most of whatever a normal day is like will keep you young at heart?

So, then, don’t just live your retirement, enjoy it as much as possible. That’s what retirement is for!