Blue Hairs & No Schedules

Well, it's been almost a week since I haven't had to drag my butt out of bed to go to the office. And what a week it's been.

First, I was honored with a very nice retirement party at work on September 9 and was very touched by the well wishes I received and the thoughtfulness of my co-workers and management who took the time out of their busy days to see me ride off into the sunset, with a Fitbit, a 21st century version of the gold watch, strapped to my wrist.

My last official day of work was September 15 and it was a very strange feeling walking out the door of 177 Colonnade that afternoon, knowing I'd likely only be returning as a visitor. To leave behind a 39 year career was both melancholic and celebratory. Of course I'll miss the action that comes with an interesting claim, the challenge of learning all about the industry involved and, of course, the camaraderie of the people in the claims industry. I won't miss the -40 degree trips to northern Quebec, the hundreds of emails or being on call. So, it was with somewhat mixed emotions that I left the office that day.

Since then, we've done more celebrating with friends and family over the past week: brunch with Brenda's ex-coworkers on Sunday, lunch with Dena and Ed on Thursday, A great day with Vanessa and Xav on Saturday and dinner with Mike and Carole tonight. Tomorrow we'll be heading off to Montreal for a couple of days to cap off the celebrations.

It's strange adapting to retirement. There are a lot of stereotypical situations that comedians often play on, but until now, I thought there was a lot of exaggeration in their skits.

I had to go to the mall the other day, so I wandered over at around 10:00, only to find the place crawling with blue haired little old ladies and curmodgeonly old men. Wandering around, having breakfast, or just shooting the breeze over a cup of coffee, they were everywhere! Now, I know I'm 59 years old, but I don't feel THAT old. Holy cow, is this going to be my life now? Am I really part of that demographic? Where do you buy those pants that go up to the base of your rib cage?

The funny thing is that I kinda get why they all hang out at the mall, like pre-teens on a Friday night. Being retired you have so much time on your hands, you can accomplish everything on your agenda and still be able to squeeze in an afternoon siesta. No more having to wake up at 5:00 a.m. to get in your 10km run. I can now laze around in bed as long as I want before strapping on my runners. If I'm feeling musical in the middle of the afternoon I just pick up my guitar and play. We rarely drive anywhere now because we have time to either walk or ride to our destination.

These last couple of weeks are really a warm up for our winter travels where we'll still have virtually no agenda, a minimal wardrobe and a maximum of time to do what we want and live our lives to the fullest.

I think I can get used to this.Read more