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| Mist still asleep on the pond. |
Ah, the best laid plans, etc. Upon retirement I thought to make an early morning routine of yoga stretching and a three mile bicycle ride before thoughts of breakfast and the heat of the day shoved me back indoors. I'd wake with such good intentions and then see the unfinished wedding dress hanging on the closet door and before I knew it, the sun was high, the day was hot, and it was time for lunch! Or I'd look at the dingy kitchen cabinets and see the paint can waiting stoically and I'd find myself thinking, just one cabinet at a time. Next thing I knew it was supper time and I was surrounded by wet paint and piles of cabinet detritus.
Now the wedding is a week behind me, the kitchen cabinets are put back together, and though my list of projects looms larger than ever, this morning I actually pulled on a pair of shorts, dragged my bicycle out of the garage, and pedaled off into the 6 a.m. sunshine. The air was a lot cooler than yesterday's 90 degrees. Small clouds that bedded down on the pond were astir and rising, birds chirped and sang and buzzed the meadow as I rode past. A small dog yapped a greeting (or a warning) and a neighbor raised both a hand (and an eyebrow) in recognition.
I pedaled up small hills, along straight stretches and around corners, thinking morning thoughts, watching the day stretch itself and wake up. Finally my empty belly and my aching legs made me turn around and head home. I still haven't gotten to the yoga stretches. Maybe I'll fit them in tomorrow before I get on my bike (and before the lure of unread blogs drags me to the computer).
Now I'm off to make a wee mattress and some bedding for a doll cradle I found for the Bean. Then I have patterns for some summer pajamas and a sundress or two. The cottage's interior walls all need painting as do bits and pieces of furniture. I'm working on a new poem and have volunteered to help out one day a week at the Senior Center. I'm writing a memory book for my older granddaughter S's October birthday, and hunting down ancestors on Ancestry.com. Perhaps some of my projects will be finished in time for Christmas!
9 comments:
Call that retirement? It's harder work than paid employment.
I have no problem with overlooking the work that needs doing around the house but I'm not so good at letting the garden go.
However, I love the idea of cycling and yoga stretching in the early morning, provided somebody else does it and leaves me to snore until 8 am. I'M very good at going late into the night though, would that count?
Happy projecting! (as in finishing projects)
Friko - I don't know when I found time to do anything else when I was working. Time is slipperier now! Staying up late should count even though I'm not good at it. Come for tea and we'll at least talk about all our projects!
smiles...as long as you are enjoying yourself...remember you have all the time in the world for the to do list...glad it was cooler for you to enjoy the ride...
It is hard to fit it all in.I am backed clear up having went back to work.
Those early morning rides or walks amid nature make the rest of the day more do-able. They're the gentle stretching of the mind and heart before the exercise of the day. Enjoy.
I envy you your bike rides... the roads are too rough here... but I'm grateful for my morning walks. I'm the same way about distractions, but I find if I get my workout over with in the morning, I have more energy to accomplish the other things. But my days seem to zoom by like yours, too!!
Brian - I'm still on work time. it will take a while for retirement freedom to sink in, I think.
OOTP - I dread the day...
Hilary, how right you are. Early morning and late afternoon/early evening are my favorite times of day.
Barbara - even when I do nothing on my list they zoom by. I don't think that's fair!
The more it changes, the more it stays the same. You are who you are, and you'll do what you'll do, maybe more of the fun stuff before the other stuff --- but I suspect you're not going to skimp on much!
Bike riding in early am in nice cool weather -- pretty much the perfect beginning to your day. And some yoga stretches, the perfect end.
(Well, it's a thought.)
J - maybe I'll add a moon salutation to the end of my day. That little bit of stretching feels so good!
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