It only seems like a short time (certainly not the actual 3 months) since the clubs and groups I’m associated with returned and regrouped after the long summer break
Weeks have moved past quite quickly this year – early on, illness and ‘other’ meant some classes/gatherings didn’t happen but when I looked at the calendar the other day (3 weeks into the 2nd term) I groaned – where did all my free time go?
I’m starting to get fed up with trying to find a day ‘to do things’.
For quite a few years after I finished working (as in paid employment) I was involved with a large charity giving them 2 regular days a week of my time. It was almost like being ‘at work’ again, being acknowledged for who I was, seeing/working alongside the same people each time, I agreed with the aims and objectives of the charity and certainly enjoyed the tasks I was responsible for. Then, like a lot of things in life, things changed, paid staff moved on, office routines changed, attitudes toward the volunteers changed and I grew tired of ‘office politics’.
It was so much like being back at work again that I decided I didn’t need all that stuff in my life and resigned. Oh but we ‘love’ what you’re doing, you’ve been doing it for about 10 years now why are you giving it away.
Because I need some ‘me time’ I told them and began to live a very quiet ‘me time’ life.  Doing what I wanted when I wanted with no commitments to anyone or anything else – apart from The Golfer.  I was content with my Crafting Reading Gardening Knitting Family History researching Travelling etc etc the same as many other retirees were.
Then the community attitude to older life expectations seemed to swing away from living a quiet sedentary life and became ‘Keep busy, keep your brain active, meeting greeting getting involved, play a larger role in society or you will grow stale in retirement.
I’m not usually swayed by those sorts of ‘messages’ but did begin to wonder if – no matter how much I was enjoying my quiet retiring lifestyle – I was becoming too much of a recluse, perhaps I did need to move back into community life and take more interest in what was going on around me, so slowly and gingerly (because sometimes you don’t quite know what you’re letting yourself in for) I joined clubs and groups that were recommended by friends and the pace of my days changed again.
This year is nearly half way over and as I mentioned above it’s now got to the stage where the boxes on my calendar have so many ‘regular’ outings pencilled in…..some weekly, some fortnightly, others monthly…….that something has got to go because I’m finding it hard to find a day to do things – like housework or washing or ironing – well that might be stretching it a bit but with an overly full lifestyle making medical appointments as well as finding days to catch up with friends it is becoming very much like telephone yo-yo*
*Years ago there was a little game played in business circles called Telephone YoYo. I’d call another practice and ask to speak to someone- not available ‘I’ll ask them to call you’ – they’d call back – ‘sorry Cathy’s not available to take your call. And so it would go. The yoyo string would roll up to them and down to me …..backwards and forwards and so on 🙂
* These days it’s – sorry I’m not free that day, let’s try for another one.
* Or – Oh you’re not free that day – how about this one
Maybe it is just me that enjoys being involved yet thinks/knows that no matter what age one is, there are times when constant busy times can be too much of a good thing.
(That sentence seems to be as clear as mud)
Does anyone else feel the same way?.
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Monday Musings – a time to think and ponder
What are you thinking about this Monday morning?
Still Waters 