I’ve always been fascinated by the strange way we experience time.
When I was young, the stretch between birthdays felt endless. Now weeks, months, and years seem to pass like riffling through the pages of a book with my thumb.
As I approach six months of retirement, time feels distorted in an entirely different way.
The first four months hardly felt like retirement at all.
Getting our house ready to sell became an all-consuming project. There were endless details, physical labor, deadlines, decisions, and stress.
At times, it felt like training for a marathon with a finish line that kept moving.
Judi was still working full time, helping nights and weekends while I pushed my 66-year-old desk-job body far beyond what it was prepared for.
We were exhausted.
But highly motivated.
Mexico had become the reward at the end of the race.
Then we arrived here…
and discovered there was still another long list waiting for us.
Finding a place to live. Completing residency paperwork. Improving our Spanish. Replacing basic household items. Learning where to shop, exchange money, and navigate daily life.
Even in paradise, there are still “have-to’s.”
But something shifted recently.
Last week, with the help of Adam Lytle and his excellent real estate team, we officially closed on the sale of our house.
And suddenly…
the pressure lifted.
Most of the major tasks are now behind us.
For the first time, retirement is starting to feel real.
And strangely enough, that comes with its own kind of stress.
Most mornings, Judi and I look at a calendar with very few obligations and ask each other:
“What should we do with this day so it doesn’t feel wasted?”
It’s probably an irrational concern. Looking back, I don’t think we’ve wasted any days at all.
But we are new to this strange responsibility:
Being responsible with the privilege of having our own time.
Some days feel like an extended date with my favorite person.
In August, we’ll celebrate 45 years of marriage, but we’ve never had a season of life quite like this.
There are quiet moments now.
Time to think.
Time to talk.
Time to act as each other’s therapist.
Or to pull a random idea out of thin air and head out on another small adventure.
A few days ago, we stayed home almost all day waiting for a workman and an important phone call.
We cleaned the house, organized a few things, tightened a rattle on the bikes.
Nothing exciting happened.
And yet, something about that day felt important.
For the first time since arriving in Mexico, we didn’t feel the need to go somewhere, explore something, or chase another experience.
We were simply living here.
Not acting like tourists.
Not searching for the next dopamine hit.
Just… living.
Maybe that’s part of what I need to learn in this stage of life.
How to slow down.
How to sit quietly without feeling unproductive.
How to stop rushing toward the next milestone and simply be present in the middle of things.
To breathe.
To laugh.
To heal.
To notice.
Time will continue to move quickly no matter what I do.
But perhaps the gift of retirement is learning how to stop trying to outrun it.
Peace out,
— Kent
Comments
2 responses
My sister told me that the hardest part of retirement is to learn not to rush.
Took us a while to realize that not every day has to be productive , it’s ok to do nothing.
Enjoy and relax!
Congratulations on the sale of your house!! I am sure that is a relief to have that taken care of. I am glad you have found moments just to live. Lately I have been ignoring my evening to do lists on my stay at home nights. It is great to have some time that doesn’t really have to be filled with something. Love you!