Retirement is Hard Work

I am so utterly grateful that I was smart enough (6 years) ago to say yes to the opportunity to ride the Natchez Trace. I was already working with a personal trainer – primarily to strengthen muscles to avoid knee pain. I knew I was not “fit” and was clearly overweight. Even though I knew better, I held on to the fantasy that building muscle would eventually lead to weight loss. I got stronger and my knee pain stopped. When I told my trainer KP about the 444 mile bike ride I had committed to, he was ecstatic because we now had a real fitness goal. I was strong when we took off on that ride. I had 40 miles as my longest distance. I was not confident, but I was driven. I rode 400 of the 444 miles. A great personal accomplishment.

However, the most important thing I took away from that trip was the opportunity to get to know so many wonderful people who were living happy, active retirements. Without that experience and subsequent, I am not sure I would have the courage to leave the NIH when I did. My decision to do the 6 week road trip turned out to be the perfect transition – especially since Spring 21 was when vaccinations were rolling out. I returned to scorching Nashville and got Carli. I went to a cycling Meet Up and Danny who has become a great friend. I am going to the “best gal” in November when he married Brent. I had the opportunity to volunteer for Habitat on a VERY HOT day the end of August 21 and got hooked immediately. Fortunately I demonstrated the right qualities to be invited to be a Supervisor on Site (SOS) and returned the next weekend and have not looked back. When that build season ended in November, my Habitat SOS mentor mentioned Nashville Tools for Schools as another activity I may like. And I do.

I have gotten through a kitchen renovation last year and bathrooms renovation this year. I have water damage from my upstair neighbors water heater that needs to be dealt with. I separately want to get rid of more stuff that I do not use and likely need. I want to be settled.

My first flight was to visit family in CO in October 2021 and since then I have flown to Seattle, Krakow, Denver, San Jose, San Francisco for the cruise and Marseilles. I have had multiple shorter car trips in between – mostly to DC, NC/SC and Iowa.

It is harder to build a community here when I am not here a fair amount of time. But in many ways it is harder here. When I travel I have people to be active with and I have a clear reason to get up and going every day. I have activity buddies and I rarely watch TV except when I am home.

Carli is not very demanding or encourage of physical activity. I have been able to stay motivated to keep up with my strength training twice a week. The strength and balance has helped me so much on the Habitat build sites. Cycling in Nashville is challenging and while I could do some neighborhood loops on my own here, it is not very appealing. I don’t feel comfortable doing too much other riding on my own – thus an attempt with Match.

I am going to DC next week and will cycling here with the best cycling partner I had to leave behind. When I return, I will try some rides with the Nashville Slow Riders and reconnect with the Black Girls Do Bike group. It is possible I could find a cycling partner and a separate playmate for adventure and travel.

When I worked, I always knew why I needed to get up every morning and for the most part looked forward to it until the very end. There wasn’t much time to fill with “other” activities. Most travel was work or visiting family.

Filling a day now requires attention and I need to feel committed to something like Habitat and Tools for Schools to get me going. I wish I could bet better at exploring new areas of Nashville or Middle Tennessee on my own. Hopefully I will have the opportunity with Match to at least meet some new friends to do explore the area while we explore a friendship.

I feel so blessed to be in a financial position to be on this journey and that I had the courage to leave the job that was toxic for me. The journey continues.