A Brief Respite

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Before the wind and rain set in this weekend, we had a brief respite from Autumn and at least two afternoons when the sun shone, temperatures climbed and my poor plants didn't know whether to drop their leaves or flower. Life can be confusing at times.

It's a little like retirement with all the choices it throws up. Should I get into the garden today, finish that book or put in some extra time at the gym? Do I eat a large lunch and a small dinner; skip breakfast and make brunch; rice or potatoes; caulifower or broccoli? Do I reply to my e-mails now or later; book a hair appointment this week or next; wear short or long sleeves; blue or pink? Yes even the simplest of daily tasks can throw up dilemmas when you have the time to actually think about them.

My working life used to rob me of time and whilst theoretically there was choice, it was invariably simpler to reach for the easiest solution, saving the heartache and time-loss of conscious decision-making. The office day was filled and the hours at either end a constant rush to fit life's daily essentials in.

It has me pondering though, was life actually simpler when it was so rushed and the scope for choice eradicated? Now that there is the potential to contemplate in detail one's every move, is there too much choice? Is this why I feel the need to reduce and simplify all around me, including attacking those autumnal garden shrubs with secateurs? Is it also why I have to have a digital To Do List to keep me focused and on track?

Liberty, perhaps the greatest of enshrined human rights, is for me fulfilling but, as yet, unfathomable.


Comments

Jane said…
I've been pondering that very question. Seems to me I got a lot more done when I was teaching - there was no time to contemplate all the various choices - it was just grab and go at the grocery store, grab and go from the closet, and grab and go in the kitchen. Now I get out all of my boxes & books of recipes and can spend an hour or more figuring out what dinner will look like. Then it's a walk (or a bike ride?) to the grocery store to get any ingredients I might not have on hand. I have half a dozen books on the go and it can be a tough decision which one to pick up when I have a few moments. Retirement is so full of choices that it can really slow me down. Maybe that's the point...
2 October 2017 at 15:46
Tracy Altieri said…
One of the biggest changes that I have seen for myself in retirement is how much less organized I am. When forced to be organized because of time constraints, things seemed to run a bit more smoothly. Now that time is not such an issue, I find that I have let things go. I am not entirely comfortable with that and am trying to put a bit more order back into my life. Not a lot, but a bit!
3 October 2017 at 11:57
Caree Risover said…
You sum it up exactly and good to believe there is a purpose behind it all
3 October 2017 at 22:18
Caree Risover said…
Sometimes I view becoming scatty as an achievement; other times I want to get out my time and motion clip board and wave a finger at myself for behaving slothfully. Good to know we are all experiencing the same "challenges."
3 October 2017 at 22:20
Maddy said…
Where I really struggle with choice is in the supermarket. Variety is nice to have, but why can't I find that product that I know I want? It's not new. It's been around for decades. Have they moved it to a lower shelf? Hidden it in another aisle? Or did the package keep getting smaller and smaller till it finally gave up and disappeared? Such a waste of time!
Since the aisles have multiplied to accommodate the increase in products, shopping takes much longer than it used to do and the frail elderly now need a heap of stamina to even think about it.
20 October 2017 at 22:19
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