Retirement Talk
WHAT to do with the rest of your life? |
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Episode 135 Doing the Dishes
Each evening around 10:30 experience tells me to start the
process of getting ready for sleep. The first step is to grab the floss and
toothbrush and spend a few minutes roaming the house looking out the windows
while I take care of this daily ritual. It might seem like a task, but I always
look at it as one of life's pleasant gifts. I didn't always look at it that
way. There was a time when brushing my teeth was a task. Forty odd years ago
this all changed. A friend we were visiting, upon reaching this time of day,
remarked casually how much he enjoyed this little pleasure. I never forgot it.
Imagine, over forty years and at each days end I am reminded through this
wonderful little blissful moment when life seems to stop and create this
cleansing taste and contemplation of the pleasure of the moment. It's all a
matter of awareness and attitude.
This is Retirement Talk. I'm Del Lowery.
Daily routines present themselves to us - like it or not.
What's to be said concerning these daily tasks? Are they to be avoided; to let
slide, to dread? Or are they jobs that can be done and even enjoyed? It might
seem like a silly thing to contemplate but we spend a lot of time doing these
things. It may be worth our while to examine them just a bit. See, that what we
old philosophy teachers do. We think about stuff. Maybe we think too much. Or,
maybe we think about the wrong things, but then again...
Aristotle claimed that we don't have good habits because we
are good people, but that we are good people because we have created good
habits. There is a big difference. We need to carefully consider what it is we are doing with our life, and then
choosing the right ones, we need to make them habitual. We need to acquire them
so that they flow from us as the day follows the night.
Doing dishes reminded me of all of this. I am the dish
washer in our house. We have a dishwashing machine that sits unused most of the
time. Sometimes my wife convince me to put some dishes in there and run it just
so the seals don't dry out and cost a fortune in repairs. But, as a routine,
when the meal is finished, I do dishes at the sink.
I love doing dishes; I really do. I select some talk radio
program, or podcast, that appeals to me and turn on the hot water. I take care
to prep the dishes and counter so that my dish water can stay relatively clean
throughout the job. My hands love it. This warm water treatment that last
twenty to thirty minutes is so very soothing and comforting. My mind loves this
as I am lost in listening to some great stories or tales that paint pictures of
far away places or interesting people. The voice from the radio has this power
to capture the imagination that has always been magical to me.
Most of we retired people probably grew up with radio rather
than television. We remember days of sitting, standing or laying on the floor
in the living room with the entire family listening to the Lone Ranger and
Tonto, Amos and Andy, or the boxing Heavy Weigh Championships of the World
coming to us from
Madison
Square
Garden
in
New York City
.
Those were the days.
Those days still exist for me on a daily basis when it is
time to do dishes. The computer allows us to listen to almost anything whenever
we want via podcasts. Most of the time I tune into the CBC from
Vancouver
and listen to
"As It Happens". This program takes time to develop a story. It
doesn't include any advertising or underwriting minutes. The hosts are skilled
and personable. Other days I might listen to an interview by on the Lenord
Lopatte Show out of
New York City
;
or an interview by Dian Rhyem. All the time my hands are basking in warmth and
I am making a beautiful clean kitchen with everything put in it's place and
waiting.
There are other daily tasks like this that must be confronted.
I'm sure we all have our little methods of making them into something that is
not only tolerable but enjoyable. Let me try to think of one that is not
enjoyable. Hummmm. I can't think of one. Really. It seems like there would be
something.
Mowing the yard gives me exercise and a beautiful lawn when
I am finished. It is also a time when I can get lost in music via a good set of
headphones. Washing the car: I have always loved washing the car. Even when we
lived in
Alaska
I washed the car every week in our garage. Once again the radio or music came
into play. Plus, I loved the idea of this mindless task that one could do each
week. The car would sparkle and then in one weeks time would be filthy again. I
felt like Sysiphus with his rock. I loved it even though I knew it would only
need to be done again and again without end.
I'm trying to think - even the laundry. Talk radio or
podcasts again come to the rescue. Laundry day is radio morning in our house. Three
hours of the best entertainment of week keep me absorbed in the world outside
the house while the clothes are being
washed, fold and put away. Even the vacuuming disappears during this time.
All of these little things are part of life. I suppose if
one where to add up the hours or time spent doing them one would be surprised. I'm
sure it's huge. I do know one thing though: they don't get in the way of
anything. It's time enjoyed, and time enjoyed is never time wasted.
This is Retirement Talk.
A resource from a listener: Best Free Online Degrees for Seniors guide is designed to assist seniors who aspire to enhance their intellect or consider starting a new career path. It features an overview of the top online degrees for seniors, emphasizing their numerous advantages, and a broad range of subjects to choose from.
A friend's website: Terra Firma Designs: Fine Furniture, Stained Glass and woodworking workshops.
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