Tag Archives: retirement

Making Fun a Priority

I love these drawings by Tina Ann. I love her lust for life, her gift for making you smile. Some people frown because it says, “AI modified,” and discount it as ‘not art’ or ‘not real.’ I say, “Bah! Humbug! to that.

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I honestly didn’t realize how bogged down I was getting while we were in Arkansas. We lived in a home we loved on top of a ridge line on about 8 acres outside of the town of Greenwood. We built the house in about 1987. We had the house and the shop we built, (then doubled the size of) where we made our ‘yard critters’ out of scrap metal, our decorations for our mailbox out of 4×8 sheet metal, I etched glassware, did mosaics, etc.

We had an absolutely wonderful life for many years, but as we got older, we became less able to take care of it. We didn’t have the money for renovations or huge repairs. We just had to keep up the best we could. My husband continued to ask me to take over technical stuff he had always handled but no longer could. Our health was deteriorating.

Now that I’m in Thailand and am actually fully retired now, a huge weight has left my shoulders!

I start my day with a trip to the gym to walk on the treadmill with concentration on improving my stamina plus my balance that was affected by the anesthesia in the hospital in February. Brian and I share breakfast and then we decide what we’ll do with our day.

Three times a week we spent 3 hours going to see Harvey at the nursing home.

Other than that, unless we have errands to run, I have the rest of the day to myself or a whole day to myself. I am having a wonderful time deciding how I want to spend my day – what I’m going to do for FUN once my laundry is done and my place is straight.

How wonderful is that! I can make doing something fun a priority!!! Whoopeeeeee!!

Today I’ve spent some time in my art alcove after getting my laundry out on my balcony. I’m keeping an eye out for rain, since that is predicted, but the sun is shining brightly now so I may not have to leap up to rescue my stuff. 😁

Brian keeps reminding me that it’s no trouble for him to order an iced coffee for me, so I’ll probably do that a bit later. I may watch a movie, or I may listen to music, work on my puzzle, read my book, take a short walk, do a session of yoga stretches, bop around the room to dance music with my headphones on and my water bottle in each hand, or take a nap, depending on WHAT. I. WANT. TO. DO. Can you imagine that!ðŸĪŠ

I wish that someone had suggested – no, TOLD me – how important it is to your frame of mind and well-being to purposefully include something fun in each and every day possible. It makes you happy when you are a priority even for a few minutes, when something makes you grin from ear to ear or do a happy dance. When you’re happy, you can be a kinder, gentler person to those around you. It’s simply contagious.

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8-29-2025

@wholesomememe.bsky.social

We’re having a nice day today. The sun is shining. I’m having some time to myself before my wonderful cleaning lady comes, so I’m going to put in some time on my puzzle. 😁

My laundry is actually out on the balcony, rather than inside on the rack with a sheet under it today! There’s a good chance my stuff will get dry and I can bring it in and get it put away before I need to leave.

I’m looking forward to reading on my Kindle and doing some sketching while Brian and I are making ourselves scarce while Khun Nong cleans.

Did I tell you I really like my life here? I had my weekly massage this morning, the cleaning lady comes this afternoon. Puzzles, sketching, reading, napping, playing on the computer, going interesting places with Brian, working out at the gym, eating good food, or making plans to get out and explore my neighborhood some make up my days now.

We visit my husband at the nursing home every three days when things are going well. I’m so relieved he seems to be past danger with the pneumonia and low blood oxygen. The nasal tube is out, he is able to eat and had good appetite yesterday morning when we visited, and was sleepy from getting his tummy full. The staff there tries to arrange an outing in his wheelchair on all days the weather will permit, so he can get fresh air and maybe see a doggie or two.

I have a wonderful son who is doing everything he can to make sure things are going as well as possible for both of us. The latest challenge of leaking windows from the last major storm may be addressed as early as next week if the handyman can send crews. We’ll keep our fingers crossed they can at least improve the situation until it can be fixed more permanently when the weather dries out.

So this happy camper is very spoiled and counting her many, many blessings. I hope that things are going well for you, as well.

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Monday, Monday

“Monday, Monday, so good to me
Monday mornin’, it was all I hoped it would be
Oh Monday mornin’, Monday mornin’ couldn’t guarantee
That Monday evenin’ you would still be here with me.”
~ The Mamas and the Papas

Life Science Leader

While you’re in school, teachers and parents make choices for you. If you marry, your choices are modified by your spouse and your children, plus working full time.

If you’re a woman, much of your life stays the same even after you retire – taking care of your spouse, running the house (hey, that rhymes!) etc, but you now have some free time to start doing what you’d LIKE to do – maybe for the first time in your life.

Even though I have enjoyed my work over the years, I always dreaded Mondays. They signaled moving in lock-step for another 5 days, where, when I finished at work, I would come home and continue working at fixing dinner, throwing another load of laundry in the washer, cleaning up after cooking, getting things ready for work, making lunches for everyone to take the next day, hurrying around, etc. Weekends were spent doing all the things I didn’t have the time or energy to do during the work week, plus running errands to the places that were closed when I went to work and closed again when I finished work. The guinea pig on the treadmill.

NOW Mondays are just another glorious day. I cherish quiet days where I can wake up slowly, enjoying my coffee, deciding what the priority for the day is, deciding what order I want to do things, the freedom to change my mind. and more.

I have so many things I like to do that I never have enough time or energy to devote to them. I have the luxury of writing my blog, looking for more proof of how creative and talented some people in the world are, watching a demonstration of a new art technique on YouTube, seeing someone do a pose new to me for my yoga practice, listening to music, reading a book, spending time in my art room, spending time outside in my garden or my yard, enjoying a beautiful morning on our deck or back porch, playing with our cat and dog, taking a walk, catching up on the news, and more.

I can intersperse what I NEED to do, what I SHOULD do, with what I WANT to do. It’s my choice now and I couldn’t love it more.

Success Magazine

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