Kind’a strange, not to have to be somewhere
Learning to relax?
Relaxing’s hard work. First, you have to remember to do it. Then you have to figure out how. After decades of rushing to and fro with scarcely a ten minute break in between, as of four weeks ago I don’t have a “to” to go to. I resigned from my downtown San Diego job last month and I’m now “reviewing my options,” which if I’m looking for work is described as “being in transition” and if I’m not looking for work, it’s called retirement. Retirement? Not me! I couldn’t do that! Looking for work? Do I want to re-join the rat race? Maybe… maybe not. Updating the resume isn’t a piece of cake.
What I don’t want, is to do nothing. That’s not relaxing; that’s boredom incarnate. Thank goodness, before I resigned I was given a project to work on, which was to prepare two three-hour workshops for an organization that supports not-for-profits by offering workshops on management, fundraising and other helpful topics.
The first week after I resigned, I drove myself to a co-op office downtown to organize my thoughts, set up my files, do some research. That lasted two days – the quiet in the office was deafening. The camaraderie I’d expected was missing since besides me, there was only one fellow there – and he had headphones on the whole time. To refresh and energize myself, the next morning I rose with the sun and took a long drive to the mountains, coffee and doughnut in hand. Relaxation incarnate! I’d go to the office later.
I didn’t. I came home, got my computer and headed out to Starbucks. Much better! Plenty of people and the caramel latte didn’t hurt, either. I set up at a table and started working on a project, one I forgot to mention – a presentation on Financial Awareness to be given to the senior class at Monarch School. Well, you can only work so long without getting up and doing something else so after a couple of hours I packed up and left.
Where would I go now? I had three more hours in my workday. I was feeling guilty enough about that drive to the mountains. The drive really was quite nice – especially the doughnut part. And the spring green of the hills was quite pretty. But I had work to do!
There was a resume to update if I had any notion of getting another job. I hit the wall on that one the very first day. Later I got help, but meanwhile I escaped by working on the Financial Awareness project.
With help from a professional and way too many hours of sweat, I finished the resume by the third week. Time to start on the workshops. They were scheduled for the end of May, which was five weeks away. Which means…
What am I thinking? I don’t have to work eight hour days! I’m in transition. I’m… um, retired? Just testing the waters… But that means I can work whatever hours I want, or not at all, except for the workshops. I can act like I’m retired. I can take a vacation. I can go to Starbucks and not bring my computer.
Feeling full of my newfound freedom, I brewed a cup of coffee and went out to the patio. The birds chattered away while I sipped on my coffee, strolled around the yard, pulled a few weeds and grabbed my computer and headed to Starbucks. There’s work to be done!
I worked a few hours, came home and got out my Kindle reader. Put together some crackers and cheese, and a few grapes. Sat out on the patio, read a few chapters and then stopped to listen to the birds’ chattering and watch the lizard surveying the yard.
Relaxing’s not so hard – you just gotta remember to do it.
Text me 619.997.5679 or send e-mail, sbuska@cox.net,
