I‘ll keep working because that’s all I know to do.
You’re retired. What do you do every day?
My response is that I have lots of hobbies and interests that keep me busy throughout the week.
Actually, that’s only partly correct. Besides my hobbies and interests, there are many hours’ worth of “other” activities. Let’s take a look at the activities and figure a 20-day weekday month, from 8 a.m. to the 4 p.m. arrival of my wife from work.
Occasional Activities
Doctor and dentist visits, tutoring, auto care, and shopping. [I estimate these average about 8 hours each month.]
Regular Activities
Daily housekeeping (beds, dishes, laundry, floors) [about 1 hour], twice weekly workouts at the gym (swimming and weight machines) [about 1 1/2 hours per day], daily paperwork for organizing papers (mortgages, bills) [about 1/2 hour], weekly lunch-and-learn class [about 2 hours], twice weekly mornings with mom [about 5 hours/week], weekly one-to-one session at the Apple Store [1 1/2 hours], weekly essay writing for a local newspaper [about 1 hour], weekly lunch with friend [about 3 hours], and writing and answering email [about 1/2 hour daily].
The above occasional and regular activities come to about 110 hours/month, leaving about 50 hours/month for hobbies and interests – out of a 160-hour month.
So, how many hours of actual hobby/interest time do I spend? I will have to write those hours down and view the data over a month’s time.
I am not complaining. I LOVE to spend time with my mom and my friends, and in writing essays like this, and in keeping myself in shape, and in learning about the computer at the Apple Store. And, in the case of housekeeping, I LOVE to see my wife happy, because she enjoys the results – and I must admit that I enjoy seeing the house looking clean, too.
So, I will give thanks for ANY amount of leftover time for my hobbies and interests. And if all my hobby-projects do not get done before I leave this earth – so be it. This essay has shown me that I DO enjoy all that I do. That is peace for me. I am blessed.
Mr. Ebsen may be contacted at robertebsen@hotmail.com