Five years. Wow. I can’t believe it has been that long since I launched LivingLifeRetired.com. So much has happened during my retirement these past five years. I took a personal inventory and was surprised at the length of the list. I…
- Bought a mountain cabin property, tore down the water- and animal-damaged addition by hand, hauled out truckloads of pine cones and needles, cleared out a fallen tree, and had my she shed built.
- Learned my mom fell at her home, was hospitalized and then she was moved into a nursing home.
- Experienced some loving and sweet but also tough and heartfelt times with family members
- Trained and volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for abused and neglected children in Larimer County
- Read a ton of books and wrote a few blog posts
- Worked part time as a substitute teacher in two school districts
- Lost my sweet kitty Lily to old age
- Joined a lovely group of women for a weekly Bible study group at my church
- Endured an international pandemic
- Sold my home, bought a home and moved to a town closer to my grandchildren
- Began attending the sister church to my primary church
- Reunited with a good friend from Amarillo, Gail, and two high school friends, Mark and Marie, through Facebook
- Endured a few disputes with neighbors
- Served as president of an HOA
- Volunteered at Life Stories (CASA Program) in Weld County
While it is a decent list of accomplishments and growth, it also reveals areas of neglect. In taking an inventory I realized why I struggle to consistently write blog posts for this site. I have had so much I wanted and needed to write about, but I just didn’t. More discipline is needed to sit down and write. In the future I need to put my many projects aside and make writing a bigger priority. The lawn mowing and room painting can wait one more day. It’s not easy because as a solo retiree, if I don’t do it, it doesn’t get done.
Have you taken inventory of your past five years or even one year? Try it; you might surprise yourself at your list. I believe it helps to reflect on your past in order to help move forward in the future. What do you want to do differently or less of? What do you want to do more of? Where are your priorities?
Thanks for following along with me these past few years. I would love to hear from you and do more posts about what you are doing in your retirement. Please email me at LivingLifeRetired16@gmail.com. I would love to feature your solo retirement.