Just 'Cause

This challenge, which specifies action in a bit of a different way than the others, pretty much gets to the crux of my retirement angst. For decades my cause has been public education, and I have been on the frontlines. Belief in the value of my vocation got me up and out of bed every morning, and although sleeping a little later has been awesome, I miss that defining purpose.

The way I see it, to fulfill this challenge I have three options: find a new cause, redefine activism for the cause(s) I already have, or start believing in unstructured me time as a valuable cause.

Hm. That narrows it down. Sort of.

Walk and Talk

The afternoon was beautiful yesterday when I took Lucy for a walk. As we wound our way along a forested path in a nearby park, we passed several pairs of walkers headed in the opposite direction. Each duo was happily engaged in conversation as they strolled, and I overheard several interesting scraps of their chatter. 

"No, it's boneless chicken breast, and you marinate and roll it up!" one person reported breathlessly.

"I told him I would," shrugged another, "but then I met another guy and changed my mind."

And I did a surreptitious double-take when I heard, "We finally finished our rabies treatment, and it wasn't as bad as they said."

As we continued, I realized it had been a while since I walked and talked with a friend, and although I didn't make that happen today? I will soon.

A Cup of Joe

I've long been a stickler about coffee. I had a grinder and a Melita pot way back when I was in college in the early 80s. It was hard to even find whole bean coffee for sale in the States back then; it would be five years before Starbucks opened anywhere outside of Seattle. 

So in those days, I brought a couple of kilos of freshly roasted coffee beans from a shop in Saudi Arabia every time I went home. Like my parents, I used a half-light, half-dark blend. I don't know where the beans were sourced, but it was probably somewhere nearby, maybe Yemen or Eastern Africa, and they roasted the beans onsite, in plain view of anyone who patronized the store. 

Since I have never owned an electric coffee maker, I've spent a lot of time waiting for the kettle to boil. I used to be a big multitasker, unloading the dishwasher and packing lunch as I waited, but this year I took my coffee making up another notch. After enjoying the coffee bean advent calendar, I started paying attention to the nuances of brewing. In addition to the ceramic burr grinder my siblings gave me for my birthday several years ago, I got an electric Stagg kettle for Christmas that rapidly boils to a precise temperature. I also bought a scale with a timer and a few different-shaped cones, as well as some various-shaped and sized filters.

Now, coffee making has my full attention as I weigh my precisely ground beans and calculate the ideal water ratio and pour time. I don't really have much downtime while the kettle is doing its part, but it's still a joy to mindfully brew each single cup in the morning.

Walking in the Rain

Over the months I've been retired, Lucy and I have established a regular walking routine, usually covering from three to four miles daily. Of course, that was all blown up recently, first by spring break in Buffalo, and then by my temporary return to teaching. But today, the first Saturday of my working month, I was determined to resume our outings despite gray skies and predicted rain. 

Lucy had a grooming appointment this morning, and we had baseball tickets for a 4 o'clock game, so the window of opportunity was slim. We set out at about 1:30; the air was cool and damp, and it felt good to be doing something that had felt stale just a couple of weeks ago. 

About a mile from home, a steady rain began. We paused for a moment or two under a young sycamore, sheltered by its canopy, but soon enough the drops filtered down and we started getting wet. There was no way out but through, but as we stepped into the storm, I realized that I didn't care. 

Screen Test

As April draws to an end, I'm thinking ahead to May and the new challenge I have set for myself.  My intention is to make it a media-free month, which for me would be no news and no social media. I've taken a month off from social media before, but I want to see what difference taking a break from the news might make.

To prepare for that endeavor, starting tonight, I'll set down my devices as soon as I finish my daily post. And while this evening won't be completely screen-free because I am going to watch a little TV, it will be just the one screen.

Student IDs

This morning, we resumed our old habit of parking a little further away from the school building. The move may actually save a little time, because it spares us from fighting the other drop-off and arrival traffic. It also gives us a chance to stretch our legs and enjoy a wee bit of fresh air and sunshine before entering the school building for the day.

The final benefit of parking down by the tennis courts is that at the end of the day, we have to walk through the fields, which our school shares with the county parks and rec department. On a pleasant afternoon, there are probably between two and three hundred people playing soccer or lacrosse or field hockey or tennis or basketball, running the trail, or walking their dogs. There's always a lot of active energy in the air, and it feels good to be part of it even for a little while.

Today, there was also a track meet, and as I walked I scanned the events looking for kids I knew. In some of my spare time I have been studying the rosters and pictures of all the students in the science classes I'm subbing for, working hard to connect the faces to the names. If only I had that field guide with me this afternoon when several kids I recognized waved and greeted me by name, I might have been able to return the courtesy. 

Division of Labor

I knew that being retired would free up both my and Heidi's weekends and afternoons simply by virtue of the fact that I would have time to run errands and do chores while she was at work. And that's been true. 

And although I'm fond of pointing out that when you're retired, it seems possible to do every chore and errand you ever wanted and still have plenty of time to be bored, it's only taken two days back at full-time work to feel that time crunch again. In addition to being away from the house 9 or so hours a day, we also have plans this weekend, and Ive got my eye on the weather to pick a day or two I can get some work done in the garden after school.

That's why I dropped Heidi off at home this afternoon around 4:30 and headed straight back out to get a few essentials for her. It really wasn't a hardship, and it gave her a little extra time to spend walking Lucy, something I know she treasures.