Retirement Is Meant To Be Savored

Retirement is meant to be savored.  Like a fine wine, this time in your life has aged well and it is meant to be enjoyed to the fullest.  In his wonderful work “Ragtime”, E. L. Doctorow quotes the composer Scott Joplin about the music that inspired the name of the novel.  The great musician said “don’t play this piece fast.  It’s never right to play Ragtime fast.”  You can say the same thing about a well-prepared meal.  You savor every bite and enjoy the seasonings and the taste created by the work of the chef who, like a musician, spent years learning their art.  Or that wonderful glass of wine that accompanies that meal – never rush through it.  Don’t even think about gulping it down.  Swirl it and appreciate the fragrance.  Taste it and enjoy the work of the laborers who picked the grapes and the artisan who crafted the wine to be aged to perfection.

Although it may be a little over the top, that is how I feel about retirement.  You worked so long to get here, take the time to enjoy every moment.  Retirement is meant to be savored exactly like a fine wine.  It is meant to be celebrated like the hard-earned victory of any sporting contest.  Life is meant to be celebrated, and retirement should be the most cherished celebration of all.  Never rush through any part of it.  Savor each day and consume it slowly as if you were eating the greatest dessert of all time.

Retirement is meant to be savored like a wonderful glass of wine at sunset

After decades of work and full days of meetings, conference calls and project assignments that were one step from hell, take the time to relax and realize that no one controls your calendar anymore but you.  Don’t overschedule.  Keep things simple and learn to enjoy every aspect of this new existence called retirement.  Don’t just have your morning coffee to get yourself going.  Make it a sacred time in your favorite chair watching other people rush around like you used to do.  Savor your coffee and cherish this time that you’ve been given.  So many people are not fortunate enough to make it across the finish line and enjoy the fruits of their labor.  Retirement is meant to be savored.

Now for those who have been retired for a while and think this is a bit exaggerated, I would suggest that you might be the type of person who takes a selfie in front of Niagara Falls, checks it off their bucket list and moves on.  This need to slow life down just a bit might be something you haven’t thought of before, but I assure you that it’s a habit worth developing.  Immersing yourself into each moment will not only slow you down but it will bring a feeling of appreciation that is the secret to happiness.  Learn to experience the moment with all of your senses and you can’t help but be grateful for the life that you have.  Don’t just record Niagara Fall with your phone, listen to the roar of the water and feel the spray of the mist.  Look at the sheer volume of water rushing over the cliff and pounding on the rocks below.  Take a moment to appreciate the miracle of nature and this wonderful world we live in.  The more often you let gratitude into your life, the more you will enjoy life and realize that each moment is meant to be enjoyed to the fullest and retirement is meant to be savored.

We have found that when we travel and take the time to enjoy the journey and not just the destination, our appreciation of everything we have is multiplied.  We go to a warmer climate when the winter winds start blowing through the Catskill Mountains and we map our journey to include a place we haven’t seen before or to re-visit a favorite location that we haven't been back to in a while.  It adds a day or two to our trip, but we enjoy the diversion.  It relaxes us and gives us time to explore something new.  Quite often it's a restaurant that has popped up in our research or heard about from other people.  We enjoy good food immensely and being able to dine out is one of our great pleasures.  It’s almost like a date every time we go out.  It reminds me of how lucky I am to have this wonderful person as a wife and travel partner and about our romantic relationship that started over fifty years ago.  It reminds us of how lucky we are to have gotten to this stage in our lives and to appreciate every day.  Retirement is meant to be savored.

If you do escape the cold every winter and you happen to drive rather than fly to your winter oasis, look for little places to stop along the way.  We look forward to our stops in Staunton in Virginia and the towns of Macon and Savannah in Georgia.  But Santee in South Carolina Asheville in North Carolina are beautiful places as well.  The dining scenes in these places are quite good with new places being added all the time.  You probably know that I like to do research but you’re probably unaware of how carefully I review the dining possibilities along the journey.  I even researched where Guy Fieri has gone on Drive Ins, Diners and Dives.  We’re always open to trying something new and we don’t turn away from fast food either.  We love Beef and Cheddars from Arby’s and the Brisket Sandwich at Buc-ee’s is very good.  We enjoy every minute of our journey as we listen to music from our youth or a book of mutual interest (especially when it’s done by a talented reader). When you approach life in this manner, you can’t help appreciating what a wonderful world we live in.  It’s time to get out and see it.  It’s time to Enjoy Retired Life!

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