Living In The Moment

26 Oct Living In The Moment

Only a few weeks into retirement I’ve become aware of a whole new world to explore. Liz used to tell me all the time…honey you HAVE to learn to live in the moment. I tried earlier but with the responsibilities of employment it was very difficult for me to embrace the concept. Like most people I was obsessed with what I needed to be doing or looking back, that I could rarely stop to live in that moment that I was current in. Weird.

Now with the job monkey off my back, I’m beginning to look up, around and with new focus. Conversations with strangers are now more lengthy and enjoyable. I’m inquisitive now like never before. Last night I attended a poker game here at this RV park that is our temporary home. I joined the game at 6pm in the community room with four guys I’d never met. All of them older and all long-retired. We had very little in common but I found myself hanging on every utterance. Weird. Note: the guys told me right off the bat they didn’t like wild cards and the game would be OVER at 8:30pm!

As I walk my dear friend, Pickle I’m stopping to enjoy the various plants and trees along the pathway. Checking out the growth characteristics, the foliage and trying to remember the names of some of the species I once knew. I’ve also been awakened to the weather, seasonal changes, and simple musty smells of the woodlands. I’m constantly reminded of my love for the outdoors where Liz and I have spent hundreds of days over the years camping, hiking and fishing. Those times were always short, 2-3 nights and on a rare occasion 4. Those trips were memorable – all of them for one reason or another.

We’re both  overjoyed at finally getting to this stage in our lives – a place we often thought was unattainable. The fog is clearing every day and we awake everyday with such renewed enthusiasm for “living in the moment”.