A different sort of a mix

A while ago, I wrote about “a day in the mix”—a tour through the assortment of things that filled one day of my particular version of retirement. Today was a different sort of mix, so I thought I’d share its ingredients, another sample of this conglomeration called retirement. 


Then I'll get back to the interrupted saga of a few days ago.

I began the day right where I'm finishing: with this blog. I started a post last night about a chance meeting with a canine friend, and I wanted to get it posted today. So I was still thinking about the coyote, especially about how very presumptuously proprietary we humans are. I was thinking about the impulse that allows us to move into animals’ territory and then regard them as pests, worthy of extermination. And by only a very small step, I was thinking about that same process, invoked against other people. Not a joyous theme to start the day. 

Shaking off that mood, I moved on to breakfast with a friend who's a fellow retiree and social change activist. This woman is a steadfast straight ally to the LGBTQ community, and I've worked with her on a variety of projects around LGBTQ issues. Today, we were just reconnecting as friends. We wanted to put aside all the tedium and tension of event organizing and just hang out over breakfast. Call it a relationship-maintenance moment. I'm aware that I get so task oriented around program planning and problem solving that I forget there are relationships here that need attention. That's a work in process.

Then, I headed to today’s volunteer gig. Formally, my role is as a volunteer “buddy” through the county’s aging services division. In reality, in this role, I get to hang out for a couple of hours with a friend. This relationship has been very uplifting to me. My friend is a remarkable person who wrote herself a very good life and is now dealing with the realities of human frailty. She is witty and irreverent, open and willing to be vulnerable. She is a teacher to me, though I don’t think she recognizes that.

After I dropped her off, I went for a walk in the open space where I went yesterday. No coyote today, but I did spot about 20 pigeons all sitting close together, side by side along a power line. Why so many? Why there? The wire was in the sun on this cold day, but so were plenty of other power lines. Maybe gathering in a large group helps them stay warm. Maybe it’s just a variation on “birds of a feather” with a Congo-line theme.

Back home, I tackled piles of paperwork and emails and then took on a bunch of travel arrangements. I hate booking flights online. My track record for completing them without a hitch is pitiful. I once made a mistake in booking a trip and arrived at the airport only to learn that I had missed my flight—by 24 hours. Another time, I booked my partner and me to the wrong city. But hey, Portland and Seattle are both in neighboring states, right? Picky, picky.

Then I headed out again for a research meeting. My partner and I are working with two students at the university on this great project. Short version: We are trying to understand how a major community institution moves from one social/political position to its (apparent) opposite. Great, thought-provoking discussions with thoughtful folks. And to think some people actually call this work.

We considered, but decided to skip, the women’s basketball game afterward. It would have been really convenient—right across the street from where we’re meeting—and we like to take in an occasional game. But we decided to just grab some dinner and call it a long-enough day.

A different mix from last time, but some themes that begin to sketch my retired life: Lots of movement and change. This is very good for me; boredom is my worst enemy. Some volunteer stuff, in the words of Alice Walker, my "rent on the planet." Some time to walk. I’ve always been physically active, and most forms of that have been curtailed by assorted “conditions.” (This is the difference between youth and aging: when you’re young, you have illnesses or injuries that can be treated and healed. When you’re old, you have conditions that are managed.) Walking, though, remains an option, and I cherish it.

A few things in this day were different from the other day I described. Some actual social activity. Although my post just yesterday was full of social outings, most of my days are pretty solitary; usually, this is totally fine with me. Also, bit of professional/academic work thrown in. Partly, this is keeping my thumb in the pie of my professional life. Partly, it's curiosity about particular topics (like this one) and the enjoyment of really thoughtful intellectual discussions. And totally missing from this day was my online editing. I took the day off because I had so many things on my calendar. A luxury of freelance work.

So it’s been a lovely day, happily rounded out by fiddling with this blog. This is great fun, whether anyone else reads it or it just floats off into the blogosphere, echoing dimly among the many others.

Who cares? It’s a voice.

I know what you’re thinking … the tree in the forest.