A day in the life of a retiree

This was my day last Thursday:

6:00am to 8:00am - Brushed teeth, dressed, made the bed, did a load of laundry, ate breakfast, loaded dishwasher, read two newspapers, solved the Jumbles, checked email, and read a few blog posts.

8:00am to 9:30 - Drove to a local park and hiked 3.5 miles of hilly trails. Drove home. (On alternate days I go to the local YMCA to work out, biking 4 miles to get there when time permits.)

9:30am to 12:00pm - Gave a ride to Charlie to the grocery store as a volunteer for Help At Your Door. Read a book while he shopped.

12:00pm to 2:00pm - Made and ate a sandwich for lunch. Took a short nap. Checked social media. Called a friend.

2:00pm to 4:30pm - Gave a ride to Lee to an orthopedic clinic as a HAYD volunteer. (Two rides in one day is not uncommon lately since the organization is short of volunteer drivers.) Read a book during his very long appointment.

4:30pm to 5:30pm - Another sandwich for quick supper. Unloaded dishwasher. Got my mail. 

5:30pm to 9:00pm - Participated in a 13 mile group bicycle ride with the Rovers outdoor club. A beer and socializing afterwards.

9:00pm to 9:45pm - Showered and read before turning off the light.

I once chuckled when retirees said that they were busier after retirement than before. But now I see it is possible (although I was also very busy before I retired.) Not included in my schedule last Thursday were my regular and board meetings for Rotary, grocery shopping for myself, little things like bill paying, making appointments, car maintenance, fixing meals for friends, house and garden keeping, and, oh yeah, writing. Some days do get rather long so I fill them by reading and watching movies. But I prefer busy to bored.

Pre-retirement planning usually focuses on financial preparedness. And while that is not a bad thing, one needs to have a purposeful plan for staying active as well. One cannot read or watch TV or browse the internet all day.

Friends, develop a plan before you retire.