One Year in the Bold North
This past week marked the first anniversary of my retirement. Unlike the countdown to retirement, which was an App on my phone, there had been no calculation of the days without gainful employment. It came to me when I was teaching Fearless Aging on February 1: "You've been retired one year today."
This is, obviously, an opportunity for reflection so carpe diem--I'll seize the day.
Anticipated: I would enjoy getting back in a regular exercise routine.
Learned: I have. Enormously. It took a while to find what classes were the best fit and I've settled into twice weekly yoga and two-three times water exercise, plus the Saturday Pilates I've maintained for a few years. When the weather is nice (for me sunny and at least mid-60s), walking and gardening get added into the days.
Not Necessarily Anticipated: I would enjoy being part of the exercise clan in these classes.
Learned: I have. Enormously. The yogis are an eclectic group, from mothers with young children to people in their 80s. The conversation before class is always fun, insightful, stimulating. The instructor is truly a gift. The "Titanic Survivors" (as I refer to us in the pool because we're all bobbing around in the water) are almost all retired women. We know each other's names and what is going on in our lives. On occasion the instructors have to remind us we are in the pool to exercise, not converse. It's terrific.
Anticipated: I would spend more time with my grandchildren.
Learned: I have spent more time with my grandchildren than I anticipated. I'll be blunt--for a period of time, I struggled with this since my anticipation was based on time spent with the grandchildren when I was working full-time. This, then, was perhaps a couple hours crammed into the weekend. When you are not working full-time, there exists multiple hours, seven days a week, where you can be on Grandma Patrol. Initially I found these additional hours more filling than fulfilling. Upon reflection, it was because I didn't assign as much value to this time as it warrants. These truly precious moments build relationships that help solidify the strong family base their parents are establishing. Don't get me wrong--time with a 2 year old is still pretty filling yet inevitably there are multiple moments that prove to be wildly fulfilling.
Anticipated: Dan and I would enjoy traveling.
Learned: Dan and I have enjoyed traveling. Enormously. We learned that one month in Florida is not enough, so we'll do two. We knew the joy of traveling with friends and family and are continuing to do that. Our list of where we want to go only continues to grow and is managed by the availability of discretionary income.
Anticipated: I would be glad to have time to myself.
Learned: I have needed more time to myself than I anticipated. Time to myself means a wide range of things. Stretching out on the couch, playing games on the I Pad. Phone conversations with friends and family. Reading. Drawing (although one great delight is sitting and drawing with my granddaughter Millie who directs the action) and coloring. Crocheting. Watching television (just recently re-upped with General Hospital). I wasn't too crazy about busy days when I was working. I'm still not.
Anticipated: I would find a volunteer activity or two.
Learned: One or two is sufficient. I volunteer with the North Star Rotary Youth Exchange as a Country Officer for Australia/New Zealand/South Africa/Zimbabwe. This means I, with the support of an amazing group of other Rotary volunteers, am responsible for the communication and paperwork which gets a student from Minnesota to one of those countries and vice-versa. It was a little nerve wracking this past December when all the documents had to be issued, sent overseas, confirmed so the students could be cleared to enter the US. I'm proud to announce they arrived without incident. Now we'll see how it goes getting the students from Minnesota overseas this summer. My second volunteer activity is my teeny, tiny business.
Anticipated: I would enjoy teaching classes through my teeny, tiny business.
Learned: I have learned, and continue to learn, so much on The Road Next Taken. I say this is a volunteer endeavor because no one ever gets rich working in education and monetary gain is even less of an expectation teaching Community Education classes. But, wow! What participants bring to these classes sincerely in nothing short of amazing. I love hearing the stories of their journeys which have brought them to their personal Road Next Taken, where they are going next, what they are learned and what they anticipate learning. Their stories enrich the classes for the next time I teach them. Shameless plug: remember I am available to teach in your community; check out my classes on The Road Next Taken. In fact, I sent a proposal to Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida; I will be teaching Fearless Aging on March 7 in Clearwater at a location called On Top of the World (6 p.m.) and March 21 at Eckerd, 1:30 p.m. The March 21 class was filled in January and has a wait list! (As Dan says, there's your target market...)
At the end of my Fearless Aging class, I read this aloud:
Be Fearless. Tonight, as you get ready for sleep, whisper “Yes.” Yes to your dreams. Yes to your hopes. Yes to what you know deep down you need to do. As you pull back the covers, as you slip between the sheets, as you turn off the lights, as you rest your head on the pillow, as you drift off to sleep, whisper, “Yes.” (from the Facebook page Begin With Yes)
In summation, that's what I learned this first year. Say "yes" and delight in what happens next.
Cooking: This is not from the NY Times rather from a slow cooker cookbook at He Who Must Not Be Named and Kitty's house. After Millie and Ethan had gone to bed, I was perusing their cookbooks, always in search of a good recipe (cf:title of this blog). I had Sloane for a couple nights while her parents went to Evansville, IN where Darin was inducted into the University of Southern Indiana's Athletic Hall of Fame, so invited the He Who Must Not Be Named family over for dinner and made this. Deliciousness.
Chicken with White Wine, Tarragon and Cream
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (will serve 6; use fewer if serving less people)
1/4 c olive oil (enough to brown the chicken, then mushrooms, onions and garlic)
1 lb. cremini mushrooms, halved or quartered if large (I eliminated the mushrooms)
2 onions, minced (I sliced them)
2 tsp minced fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c flour
3/4 dry white wine
1 c low sodium chicken broth
6 carrots, halved lengthwise, sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 T soy sauce
2 bay leaves
1/2 c heavy cream (I used half and half)
1/4 c minced fresh tarragon
1. Heat oil. Brown chicken on both sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to plate.
2. Add oil. Cover and cook mushrooms, onions, thyme and salt to taste for 5-10 minutes until mushrooms are softened. Remove cover and cook another 5-10 minutes until mushrooms are browned.
3. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and cook for one minute. Whisk in wine, scraping up any browned bits, smoothing out lumps. Transfer to slow cooker.
4. Stir broth, carrots, soy sauce and bay leaves into wine mixture. Nestle chicken into slow cooker. Cover and cook 4-6 hours on low.
5. Transfer chicken and vegetables to plate. Discard bay leaves. Stir in cream and tarragon, along with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over chicken and vegetables, serve with any remaining sauce.
Cook's notes: I used about twice as much wine and broth, which meant I needed to add flour to thicken the sauce before adding the half and half. My method is to put the additional flour in a measuring cup, then spoon the liquid over the flour and mix it together so there are not lumps. It creates a thick paste that you can then slowly whisk into the existing sauce.
This is, obviously, an opportunity for reflection so carpe diem--I'll seize the day.
Anticipated: I would enjoy getting back in a regular exercise routine.
Learned: I have. Enormously. It took a while to find what classes were the best fit and I've settled into twice weekly yoga and two-three times water exercise, plus the Saturday Pilates I've maintained for a few years. When the weather is nice (for me sunny and at least mid-60s), walking and gardening get added into the days.
Not Necessarily Anticipated: I would enjoy being part of the exercise clan in these classes.
Learned: I have. Enormously. The yogis are an eclectic group, from mothers with young children to people in their 80s. The conversation before class is always fun, insightful, stimulating. The instructor is truly a gift. The "Titanic Survivors" (as I refer to us in the pool because we're all bobbing around in the water) are almost all retired women. We know each other's names and what is going on in our lives. On occasion the instructors have to remind us we are in the pool to exercise, not converse. It's terrific.
Anticipated: I would spend more time with my grandchildren.
Learned: I have spent more time with my grandchildren than I anticipated. I'll be blunt--for a period of time, I struggled with this since my anticipation was based on time spent with the grandchildren when I was working full-time. This, then, was perhaps a couple hours crammed into the weekend. When you are not working full-time, there exists multiple hours, seven days a week, where you can be on Grandma Patrol. Initially I found these additional hours more filling than fulfilling. Upon reflection, it was because I didn't assign as much value to this time as it warrants. These truly precious moments build relationships that help solidify the strong family base their parents are establishing. Don't get me wrong--time with a 2 year old is still pretty filling yet inevitably there are multiple moments that prove to be wildly fulfilling.
Anticipated: Dan and I would enjoy traveling.
Learned: Dan and I have enjoyed traveling. Enormously. We learned that one month in Florida is not enough, so we'll do two. We knew the joy of traveling with friends and family and are continuing to do that. Our list of where we want to go only continues to grow and is managed by the availability of discretionary income.
Anticipated: I would be glad to have time to myself.
Learned: I have needed more time to myself than I anticipated. Time to myself means a wide range of things. Stretching out on the couch, playing games on the I Pad. Phone conversations with friends and family. Reading. Drawing (although one great delight is sitting and drawing with my granddaughter Millie who directs the action) and coloring. Crocheting. Watching television (just recently re-upped with General Hospital). I wasn't too crazy about busy days when I was working. I'm still not.
Anticipated: I would find a volunteer activity or two.
Learned: One or two is sufficient. I volunteer with the North Star Rotary Youth Exchange as a Country Officer for Australia/New Zealand/South Africa/Zimbabwe. This means I, with the support of an amazing group of other Rotary volunteers, am responsible for the communication and paperwork which gets a student from Minnesota to one of those countries and vice-versa. It was a little nerve wracking this past December when all the documents had to be issued, sent overseas, confirmed so the students could be cleared to enter the US. I'm proud to announce they arrived without incident. Now we'll see how it goes getting the students from Minnesota overseas this summer. My second volunteer activity is my teeny, tiny business.
Anticipated: I would enjoy teaching classes through my teeny, tiny business.
Learned: I have learned, and continue to learn, so much on The Road Next Taken. I say this is a volunteer endeavor because no one ever gets rich working in education and monetary gain is even less of an expectation teaching Community Education classes. But, wow! What participants bring to these classes sincerely in nothing short of amazing. I love hearing the stories of their journeys which have brought them to their personal Road Next Taken, where they are going next, what they are learned and what they anticipate learning. Their stories enrich the classes for the next time I teach them. Shameless plug: remember I am available to teach in your community; check out my classes on The Road Next Taken. In fact, I sent a proposal to Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida; I will be teaching Fearless Aging on March 7 in Clearwater at a location called On Top of the World (6 p.m.) and March 21 at Eckerd, 1:30 p.m. The March 21 class was filled in January and has a wait list! (As Dan says, there's your target market...)
At the end of my Fearless Aging class, I read this aloud:
Be Fearless. Tonight, as you get ready for sleep, whisper “Yes.” Yes to your dreams. Yes to your hopes. Yes to what you know deep down you need to do. As you pull back the covers, as you slip between the sheets, as you turn off the lights, as you rest your head on the pillow, as you drift off to sleep, whisper, “Yes.” (from the Facebook page Begin With Yes)
In summation, that's what I learned this first year. Say "yes" and delight in what happens next.
Cooking: This is not from the NY Times rather from a slow cooker cookbook at He Who Must Not Be Named and Kitty's house. After Millie and Ethan had gone to bed, I was perusing their cookbooks, always in search of a good recipe (cf:title of this blog). I had Sloane for a couple nights while her parents went to Evansville, IN where Darin was inducted into the University of Southern Indiana's Athletic Hall of Fame, so invited the He Who Must Not Be Named family over for dinner and made this. Deliciousness.
Chicken with White Wine, Tarragon and Cream
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (will serve 6; use fewer if serving less people)
1/4 c olive oil (enough to brown the chicken, then mushrooms, onions and garlic)
1 lb. cremini mushrooms, halved or quartered if large (I eliminated the mushrooms)
2 onions, minced (I sliced them)
2 tsp minced fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c flour
3/4 dry white wine
1 c low sodium chicken broth
6 carrots, halved lengthwise, sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 T soy sauce
2 bay leaves
1/2 c heavy cream (I used half and half)
1/4 c minced fresh tarragon
1. Heat oil. Brown chicken on both sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to plate.
2. Add oil. Cover and cook mushrooms, onions, thyme and salt to taste for 5-10 minutes until mushrooms are softened. Remove cover and cook another 5-10 minutes until mushrooms are browned.
3. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and cook for one minute. Whisk in wine, scraping up any browned bits, smoothing out lumps. Transfer to slow cooker.
4. Stir broth, carrots, soy sauce and bay leaves into wine mixture. Nestle chicken into slow cooker. Cover and cook 4-6 hours on low.
5. Transfer chicken and vegetables to plate. Discard bay leaves. Stir in cream and tarragon, along with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over chicken and vegetables, serve with any remaining sauce.
Cook's notes: I used about twice as much wine and broth, which meant I needed to add flour to thicken the sauce before adding the half and half. My method is to put the additional flour in a measuring cup, then spoon the liquid over the flour and mix it together so there are not lumps. It creates a thick paste that you can then slowly whisk into the existing sauce.
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