In The Time I Have Left

      I read a very interesting blog post today during my lunch hour while I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a cup of sugar-free hot chocolate...none of which I am allowed, but it's cold outside and I wanted something comforting, so I'm feeling ok about my lunch because I used sugar-free jam and sugar-free hot chocolate mix, and the peanut butter has protein, so let's not worry about that bread, right? 

     So...let me drop the link to this blog post right here so you can go visit him. I've been following Urspo for a while now and find his posts to be entertaining, enlightening and very often thought provoking, such as the one I've linked today.

     As I mentioned in my comment to him, my dad died at age 82, my mom will be 85 next month and I am currently 63, so I figure I have 20 years or so years of life left and that inspired this post and the title, "In the Time I Have Left."

     Let me begin by posting my comment to Urspo, "That's a good tip. I'm a bit of a procrastinator when it comes to paying bills, so I've set up almost everything on auto pay so I don't have to worry about it. As I get older though, I find that I make excuses based on the length of time I have left in life. I'm 63 and my dad lived to be 82 and my mom who is still with me will be 85 next month...so I figure I have another 20 or so years to live. Given that I have such a small amount of time left, do I really want to spend that time cleaning my house or paying bills or doing yardwork? Or do I want to read amazing books and work on my art or write blog posts and watch as much football as the NFL can throw at me? (Ok, I changed up my comment from what I posted on his blog, let's call it creative license, or maybe it's the glass of wine I just finished...no matter, let's move on, shall we?)

     So...where was I going with this? Oh yes, the time I have left. Some might think that I should retire already, but I plan to work until I'm 72. I enjoy my job. Not every day...but most days. With the pandemic in play, I have been able to work from home since March of 2020. I've avoided that dreaded commute I had every morning and evening, so I've gained an hour and a half in my day, so why not earn that paycheck as long as possible right?

     Once I retire I figure I will have 10 to 12 more years of life and  hopefully I will have good health and the mental awareness to do the things I love to do. 

     When my dad retired, I remember like it was yesterday, he sat at the kitchen table dejected and sad, not knowing what to do with the rest of his day, the rest of his life. All he knew how to do was work and he loved what he did. My mom on the other hand loves to do beadwork and sew and read and shop, she's always been a very crafty, creative person. I like to think I got the best parts of  each of them, so I will work as long as I can, as my dad should have done and when I can't work anymore, I will paint and read and cook amazing soups, when and if I want to.

     So that is the plan for the rest of the time I have left...what is your plan?