My first summer of retirement. Why do I feel guilty anyway?
This is the first summer I'm fully retired. I’ve been working every summer since 1973. We finally got some relief from the oppressive heat and humidity here, so I've been spending almost every afternoon lounging on the back porch. The weather has been perfect, my vegetable garden is flourishing, and there are birds everywhere, especially my favorite, the red-tailed hawk. I like to think I'm getting pretty good at the art of idling.
But a weird kind of guilt still haunts me. Since it's cooled off, I feel like I “should” be cooking and freezing food for the hot weather to come. I also feel like I “should” be vacuuming the carpets and washing the floors because the humidity is lower. And I “should” be listing things on eBay for some extra income.
Yet, those particular afternoons vividly recall similar days when I was 12. I would bike down to the town library, grab a couple of Nancy Drew books, get a popsicle, and read under the shade of our big backyard maple tree until supper time. It was so simple and peaceful.
I'm just trying to get used to this new reality, and this new feeling about summer. Has anyone else who is retired or close to it felt this way? How do you get past the guilt of just enjoying yourself? How did you feel this summer?
#SummerMemory #RetirementLife #RetirementGuilt #SimpleJoys #AgingWell #NewChapter #LifeAfterWork #JobCareer
