Retirement can be a full time job

In the past, before we retired I would ask people what they did in their retirement.  I thought that if I retired from working I would have nothing to do.

Today retirement is a job--though maybe an exaggeration about being full time.

First of all lets talk about electronics.  It is true you can stay in the dark ages and avoid computers, cable TV and cell phones.  However you would miss Facebook and not know what everyone is doing.  You would be forced to stay in touch by telephone and hand written letters.  The joy of waking up to Facebook would not be part of your agenda. You could not look forward to the daily hundred emails selling you everything from houses to hearing aids.

 Without your computer you would be faced with going to the library to research  or catching the news daily to know what is happening in our world. And leaving your house without a cell phone could cause severe stress and the fear of breaking down at any time.  These are all wonderful inventions however they need love and care.  You have to get the computer worked on when it doesn't work and there is no computer genius in your home.  The cable goes out and you have to call the cable company.  You may spend hours on the phone pressing buttons and talking to a robot.  Or you may get lucky and talk to a real person.  Problem is solved. However a week later the same problem may occur and back on the phone.

Cell phones need updates and hopefully you know how to take care of these. The time comes when you need to buy a new cell phone and don't know what to get unless you have a genius in your home. And you have to figure out the best plan and can easily get swayed by a good sales pitch.

This painting I created when thinking of all the chaos going on today in cities everywhere.

Paying bills is simple today if you know how to pay online.  Many people enjoy this way of paying bills.  Problems still arise with bills and you are back on the phone trying to get the bills straightened out.

A new worry has developed with our electronics or even if you pay your bills by mail---cloning and hacking are part of our vocabulary today.  Time to get protection from Lifelock or one of the companies that protects you from someone using your information.

Insurance is a huge factor in our lives.  Remember when you just bought life insurance? Today there is insurance for everything.  We need protection with everything we do and have.

Managing money is another item that takes a lot of time.  Prices are going up at a rampant rate and our incomes often stay the same.  Budgeting and making changes is something we must be aware of.

Free time and how to spend it.  What was busy when we were young is different from what is busy today.   Remember the days when you worked, took care of kids and still maintained your home?  Though your kids may be grown life often does not feel any easier.

Having pets today can be a challenging adventure and expensive.  I used to take our cats in to the veterinarian when something was wrong, and all of them lived to a ripe old age without six month check ups.

Repairs seem to be a weekly activity aside from the electronics.  Something always needs fixing from changing light bulbs on our 9 foot ceiling to garbage disposals that get stubborn.

I almost forgot about all the decisions we must make every day.  With Netflix, Hula, Showtime, HBO etc we have more than a thousand shows to choose for our viewing pleasure.  And how often do you say there is nothing to watch.

Take some time out today to think of all the details you have to take care of on a daily basis.

I was inspired to write this post when my husband spent an entire day trying to get a bill worked out.  We were waiting for a refund which took six months to get and daily phone calls.  Who says retirement is easy?