Retirement and filling your time

My awesome DAD just retired at the end of July. Yay!

He told me that many people ask him what on earth he'll do with all this free time. His answer made me laugh and feel proud at the same time:

"First, what's it to you? Second, I'm NOT working. Third, I'm going to a lot of ball games. Then they ask if I really like ball games that much."

I think my dad is a little exasperated, as am I, with the idea that we need to be so damned busy. I'm three months into the jobless life, taking exactly 8 credit hours, and can't believe how much stuff - mostly stupid stuff, some real need-to-get-dones, but lots of little things to do - fills up my time. I'm trying to be a person who enjoys life more, takes it a little slower and takes time to rest, write and do what's good for myself.

For my dad retirement means watching Westerns, fixing things around the house, attending a lot of ball games, reading and hanging out. Nothing ridiculous and definitely something wonderful.

As for me, retirement is a ways off - but today I've made use of some leftover veggies, baked crackers, finished a lab report, thoroughly enjoyed a half-pot of coffee, met with a professor and chatted with my sister-in-law for a spell. There are certainly moments when I feel bored, but I think that's something I'm going to combat - with cooking, cleaning, organizing, studying, walking, biking, reading, and even a few ballgames.

The photo here is a gang of harbor seals we saw on our way to Channel Islands National Park (by boat). Harbor seals, and other seal-types, are - by my observation - very good at hanging out.