Freedom
I think I've mentioned previously that the greatest thing about retirement is the freedom one can possibly enjoy with very little, if any, restrictions. Not to mention the absence of stress from earning a living. I tell people that working in the US is like being imprisoned in a luxury jail. We cannot quit before retirement age due to our mortgage and all the bills that need to be paid. It's been proven through various research that stress at work and from day to day activities can lead to all kinds of diseases. I didn't think I suffered from it but looking back, there was definitely stress at work which I'm not going to go into detail now since that part of my life belongs to the past now. But people in the same situation will tell themselves it's manageable, some will even say, "I enjoy my work!" I'm sure each person experiences different levels of stress and also people deal with it different ways. The bottom line, it's always present.
But I have to say, it's a LOT LESS now that we're retired.
A friend suggested I volunteer some of my time to NGOs (Non Government Organizations) here. They're basically social and/or charitable institutions which can include the church I suppose. I told him at this time I'm not willing to give up that freedom that I enjoy so much. I figured if I volunteer, I'm committing myself to put in however much time I'm willing to do, so in my mind it's basically working without getting paid. Sure, there's probably the nobility of it all and the feel good attitude of accomplishing something to help others out. But like I said, I'm not closing the door to volunteerism. I probably will still do it, I just can't tell when.
Nido can't figure out why I didn't have any sprinklers installed around the yard to save me from watering but these are the things that I enjoy doing nowadays. Like sweeping around the house every morning, sometimes even during late afternoon before Indo and I go on our second walk of the day.
Early this year Donna had to go the dentist for cleaning and a regular check up. She felt she got over charged so we went and saw Merlyn's brother (also a dentist) Nardy Dizon, instead. And we liked his fees so much we came back for several more visits!
I no longer feel comfortable wearing my long distance glasses when I drive so we went and had our eyes checked out, something we missed to do last year. Lo and behold, our prescription went lower. I think mine went from 220 to 150 and Donna's from 250 to 175 or something like that. That's the good news! The bad news? The opthalmologist says it's due to age!
But I have to say, it's a LOT LESS now that we're retired.
A friend suggested I volunteer some of my time to NGOs (Non Government Organizations) here. They're basically social and/or charitable institutions which can include the church I suppose. I told him at this time I'm not willing to give up that freedom that I enjoy so much. I figured if I volunteer, I'm committing myself to put in however much time I'm willing to do, so in my mind it's basically working without getting paid. Sure, there's probably the nobility of it all and the feel good attitude of accomplishing something to help others out. But like I said, I'm not closing the door to volunteerism. I probably will still do it, I just can't tell when.
Nido can't figure out why I didn't have any sprinklers installed around the yard to save me from watering but these are the things that I enjoy doing nowadays. Like sweeping around the house every morning, sometimes even during late afternoon before Indo and I go on our second walk of the day.
Early this year Donna had to go the dentist for cleaning and a regular check up. She felt she got over charged so we went and saw Merlyn's brother (also a dentist) Nardy Dizon, instead. And we liked his fees so much we came back for several more visits!
I no longer feel comfortable wearing my long distance glasses when I drive so we went and had our eyes checked out, something we missed to do last year. Lo and behold, our prescription went lower. I think mine went from 220 to 150 and Donna's from 250 to 175 or something like that. That's the good news! The bad news? The opthalmologist says it's due to age!
posted by reyjay @ 10:30 PM
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