Empty Calendars

It’s finally official. My husband of 40 years and I are retired. Businesses sold. Schedules wide open, Responsible to only ourselves. For four whole months, we had the freedom to go where ever we wished and to fill our days as we wanted…then came social distancing.

Retirement, a big adjustment all by itself, has been compounded by not being able to follow those travel and “dream job” plans we’d been busy making. For a while, my days were filled by canceling airline and hotel reservations. Now, making a weekly trip to the local grocery store (during senior hours, of course) is a big deal. Summer at the lake surrounded by our grandchildren…hopefully, next year. I would look at the paper calendar we’ve kept filled for decades and I was sad, sometimes even desperate.

So, I’ve begun making plans to fill that calendar. One night a week (by my husband’s request), we bake. He started with boxed mixes, but I’m slowly convincing him to venture out into scratch territory. He chooses the recipe and I’m the sous-chef. Sometimes, the results are delicious. Sometimes, not so much. We’ve found a very appreciative audience in our grandchildren, delivering goodies to the end of their driveway. It’s fun.

Also, once a week, we have an online family game night. Again, sometimes all the tech works great. Other times, I’m happy to report that even the younger generation is stymied. It doesn’t matter. We laugh a lot. It’s fun.

I’ve been at online meetings with my book club, my yoga instructors, my camp buddies. We have an online dinner once a week with friends from all over the country. That sad, empty calendar is getting a bit more interesting.

Retirement has turned out to be a huge adjustment, just not the adjustment I thought it would be. We’re doing a great job at protecting our old selves by social distancing. But, we are not isolating. We are interacting in every new way we can imagine. Get out there. Be part of your community. You never have to be alone.