Retirement Is The Gift Of Time

There is nothing like retirement.  After decades of being forced to go to a job to make a living, you can now do whatever you please.  I make no secret about the fact that I did not like my job too much, so when I retired it was like getting out of prison.  Retirement is the gift of time, but too many people don’t make the most of this wonderful time in their life.  That’s especially true for the new retirees whose health is probably at their peak.  A wise 86-year-old woman told us to “do it while you can” and she was right.

We spent the first two winters of our retirement travelling extensive across the southern half of this beautiful country that we live in and, over the next four years, have gone back to our favorite places.  It’s amazing how attached you can get to a place in just a couple of weeks.  We own a lot of timeshare weeks and have used it to escape the cold and explore the different areas throughout Florida, the southwest and California.  We had vacationed in these places before, but you don’t really get to know an area in just a week.  Retirement is the gift of time, and we have grown very fond of Jensen Beach in Florida, Tucson and, if we want to splurge for airfare, the entire island of Kauai.  We’ve also enjoyed Oceanside and Palm Springs in California and have noticed that almost anyplace that has palm trees is usually a pretty nice place to be.  Especially in the winter.

Retirement is the gift of time.  Learn to use it wisely.

One of the things we’ve done to make our travels as interesting as possible is to do a little research before we go to ensure we utilize our time as productively as possible.  As a person who loves to study history, the chance to visit some sights during our trip makes these journeys even more interesting.  We’re not in a hurry to get from one place to another.  It’s not like the one-week vacation where you had cram everything you could into seven days before heading back to work.  Retirement is the gift of time, and we make the most of it whenever we can.  I’ve gotten to see many places that are off the beaten path and have enjoyed them greatly.  My wife is the best travel partner in the world and will go anywhere and see anything as long as there’s no test that she has to take and as long as a nice meal can be had along the way.

Dining experiences are very high on our list when we think about the things we enjoy most in life.  That’s especially true for our travel experiences.  We have favorite restaurants in almost every town at this point, and it can be a lot of fun to research the local restaurants and to uncover a hidden gem.  We love to go back to these places when we make a return trip but get a little sad when one of our favorite places close up.  It’s like losing a friend.  Aunt Dee’s Diner in Jensen Beach was one of those places and it was sad to see them go. The staff was friendly, the food was great and the prices were very reasonable.  We were able to watch a busy, local restaurant up close and learned a lot about that little area of Florida.  Retirement is the gift of time and getting to know people and places is one of the most enjoyable ways you can spend your day.  The good news is that we got the French Toast recipe.

That’s another favorite parts of traveling to different areas: the food.  Finding a wonderful execution of a particular dish and doing everything you can to duplicate it in your kitchen at home is a great hobby and develops an appreciation for the restaurant business.  My first job was being a dishwasher in a busy restaurant, and it was a great education for me.  I think the restaurant is one of main economic engines that keeps our country going.  It’s a great source for jobs, provides a benefit for every part of our supply chain and is a wonderful opportunity for anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit.  As I noted, retirement is the gift of time, and when we find a good restaurant, I usually do a little research about how they got started.  There are some wonderful stories out there and some excellent examples of what a little bit of hard work and treating people right can get you.

The restaurant business is so important to our economy, I might even start a little section within this website about some great examples we have found around the country and within our own Hudson Valley.  After all, retirement is the gift of time, and, if I can share some words of appreciation and encouragement, I think it can help some hard-working people out.  Keep coming back to see if I make good on this new project.  In the meantime, keep traveling and doing new things.  It’s time to Enjoy Retired Life!

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