Journaling

I used to keep a diary when I was a teenager. I would be fascinated to read those now! I do currently carry a small notebook in my purse, to jot down ideas for my writing rather than my private thoughts, but is not a diary, it is not journaling. It occurred to me that this blog is very much like a journal. Of course, I don't share all of my thoughts, dreams and observations here. Some are best kept quiet.

Today I remembered a post I published, on the fear of my impending retirement. I thought it was probably almost exactly a year since I wrote it. Looking back, it was actually a year and a day. April 23rd 2021. Impending doom or a whole new lease on life? How interesting it would be to have a daily diary to look back on.

I was genuinely very worried about how retirement would work out for me, because I was not emotionally ready for it. Because my husband and I are not social animals at the best of times, but in the midst of the COVID crises we were even more isolated. Work was not only a distraction and a challenge, it was regular human interaction, albeit virtually. Many of my posts approaching my retirement, and since then, have dealt with the dilemma I found myself in. 

However, COVID had also given me a year of testing out what it would be like to be stuck at home all day every day. One thing we discovered that year was that we, Larry and I, get along very well, even when exposed to highly concentrated doses of each other. That was good to know. Of course, as mentioned before—many times—I do have a long list of hobbies, and still I had space to fill with more, new activities.

Rereading my post written prior to retirement, things seem to have panned out exactly as expected. Of course, we didn't expect COVID to last quite as long as it did, in fact it is still not gone. However, according to most sources, it won't ever be gone but will remain around just as influenza has. 

I have been exercising regularly. I have been writing every day. Some days I blog, most days my writing is not for my blog. I have not been as productive as anticipated. I get distracted by my husband calling out "Let's go fishing." Or by researching some point in my story that needs clarification, and of course by Masterclass. 

I have written a lot, but so far completed only one short story. I have at least five that are in various stages of completion. Perhaps I need to go back to keeping a journal, the discipline would be good and keeping track of all those mundane events and reactions to them, could spark more ideas. I particularly like the bulleted journal idea and think I just might try that.

As for retirement. I am enjoying it. I am looking forward to being able to travel again, while cost is obviously a consideration due to reduced income, time is most definitely no longer a consideration.