I love retirement, but it’s nothing like I imagined. What did I imagine, you ask? That I wouldn’t be working. Because that’s the meaning of retirement, isn’t it? We define it by what’s not there, rather than what is.
But if I’m not working, what should I be doing instead? Golf? Travel? Catching up on the classics?
I thought I might do all of those at some point, but I decided to start with pickleball. It’s a popular sport in my hometown, and it has a lot to recommend it. It’s convenient, for one thing; courts are nearby and free. It’s good exercise. And once my husband and I start playing, we’ll probably meet lots of new friends we can do other fun retiree stuff with. We could all not work together.
That’s what I tell myself every night when I drop into bed, exhausted. Just have some fun, I say. You don’t have to work like a dog anymore. You’re retired, dammit!
But when I wake up in the morning, I quickly abandon my plans. I don’t want to play pickleball as much as I want to mow the grass or chip up that pile of sticks I’ve been collecting in the side yard. I want to give my dog a bath, clean the toilet, weed the garden.
I want to check into the virtual classroom and see what my students are doing. I…
