Exercising is great but one discovers that muscle groups are stiff and need more work. So with this retirement thing I have noticed other areas of my life that are stiff too.
Trying to dance freely I have discovered that I need to relax and move my body relaxed. I am finding I am a stiff dancer now. Even trying to do old steps are so rusty. It does not help that my husband and I have not done any dancing together for about 3 years due to his respiratory issues. But I do love dancing. So in the Fall once the garden thing is over, I will target some cheap dance exercise DVDs I bought. Exercise with dance may help this stiff dancer.
Writing has become stiff too. Charting in a Social Work job is very different than creative writing. Even though I have believed I am freer in my blog posts, my critical assessment has been not. I need to revisit more creative flow. Most of the non-fiction books read recently have been more folksy. Being folksy in charts or analytical assessments is a no-no. In creative writing, well it is a resounding yes. So how to write some analytical stuff and also some free flowing stuff. Genealogical articles must be factual and precise too. So I started yesterday with a descriptive 3 pages of my morning walk. Tried to write like many of the magazine articles one reads. Lots of superfluous details about nothing but makes for a good read. Not that my morning walk is a good read, it just helped me stop and detail one daily area of my life. In order to change, one must begin a change with an area needing change. So some creative flow is good. I have a series of short stories I started when I finished writing the cookbook so they would be a good start too. I realize that some of the family stories can be folksy as well. To loosen up.
My crafts. My knitting and crocheting. I want to try some more complex stitches too. So starting with small squares rather than a big project will be good. Already knitted 4 little hats but they are my usual patterns. Bought a new hat pattern book to try some stitches there. Small works best when trying something new. Just having my projects in my hands lets me get things done too. Finishing the variety of items before heading off to new. Trying to do some different crafts, maybe for fun and maybe for income.Okay the heat waves in the GTA does not make working with yarn easy.
Quilts. Well still need to get the tension on one of my little sewing machines fixed. Again to start with a small project. A cushion. A square. I do have lots of fat quarters to make many quilt items. One of my goals for retirement had been to revisit quilting so I am well stocked and prepared.
So back to being stiff.
When did I discover I became stiff. Perhaps when some of the stress had dissipated from my life. I am home with my chronically ill husband so do not worry as much. The hours at work and wondering how he was doing played a toll on me more than I realized. Some changes in his routine and medications have helped him plateau. Accepting some home care help for him has been a challenge too. I was used to doing everything myself. But knowing the road ahead may become more difficult the help taken now for him can be increased later.
Stiffness can come from just having to hold on too tight. So retirement is new to me. It's okay. A learning curve. So deciding what do I want to do with my life. Daily. Not the rest of my life but how to make each day okay. Functional. Maybe sometimes some fun. I know I do want to work in some capacity, just not a workplace work. It's funny I do not miss it. The workplace. Some of the people, but not all of the people. Having to be on one's best behaviour around annoying, toxic people may have been one of the areas of my life that made me stiff! Now I can connect differently.
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