I have not sent out Christmas cards for over 10 years. Last year, we never got around to putting Christmas lights on the house. I haven't baked Christmas cookies for probably 20 years. Over the last 10 years I probably cooked dinner, at most, twice a month.
All these domestic deficiencies I blamed on working. I figured when I retired I would be the first on the block to put up Christmas lights, the tree, and the decorations. I thought I would bake cute little containers of cookies for everyone I knew. I thought I would send out Christmas cards. I thought I would actually enjoy cooking meals when I had more time.
I figured I'd become a regular Martha friggin' Stewart when I retired.
We barely got our tree in time for Christmas this year. I decorated the house the day before our guests arrived. We never got around to putting up the lights outside, and I STILL didn't send out cards, never mind the cookies. Christmas dinner was the first meal I have cooked in nearly six months.
Here's the thing. If you didn't make time for it before you retired, you probably didn't really like doing it in the first place. And just because you don't go to work every day, doesn't make you all of a sudden want to do all the things you really don't want to do but thought you wanted to do, if only you weren't working.
(Ditto for working out an extra 30 minutes a day, shedding five pounds, and spending quality time out in the garden with your weeds.)
It's easy to blame your job for not allowing you to do all the things you really want to do, but maybe it's just that you didn't really want to do them in the first place.
Great post. I often imagine that I will turn into Martha Stewart once I'm retired but I realize that you're right. I don't particularly like to cook or clean and that won't change just because I'm no longer working.
Posted by: savvy | January 06, 2009 at 10:42 AM
This sounds right. I am not retired, but it makes sense. I also find the less time you have the more you get done, so consequently, the more time you have the less you get done.
Posted by: Rhea | January 06, 2009 at 12:26 PM
Well...you may be right about the housework, but you did prepare the best Christmas dinner ever...for what it's worth. And I heard on facebook that you were working on it days before. Sure hope you Do like doing it occasionally.
And I noticed that today I cleaned the kithen floor, did laundry, unloaded the dishwasher and fixed my lunch before off to work for me. That would have taken me 2 days last week!!
Posted by: Sara | January 06, 2009 at 04:12 PM
@Savvy, thanks for your comment--better you realize it now before you spend all that money on materials for crafts and a subscription to "Living," huh?
@Rhea, boy, ain't that the truth-the less time you have the more you get done (and the converse). Much retirement wisdom from someone that's not even retired yet.
@Sara: For the record, I LOVE having Christmas; I love enjoying the fruits of my labor and especially love it when my guests say it was the best Christmas dinner ever. But the 6 loads of laundry afterward, not so much.
Posted by: Retired Syd | January 07, 2009 at 09:27 AM
Whew, that's a relief!! I keep working because I thought I'd have to cook every day if I retired. I'm only half joking; really, I'd rather work and be able to pay someone to cook and clean. --not Martha Stewart
Posted by: Florence | January 10, 2009 at 03:38 PM
@Florence: Your comment reminds me of what I've always said about why I never wanted to have kids: "I don't want to have to go to Disneyland for vacation."
But, yes, if your retirement budget wouldn't allow for these tasks to be "outsourced" and you hate them, you are smart to contemplate that before quitting your day job.
Posted by: Retired Syd | January 10, 2009 at 04:17 PM
Sydney, I have just started reading your blog. It is great. I love the way you write--very entertaining. I went right to this post because I love Martha Stewart, but really, there is only one Martha... just because I love to watch what she can accomplish, I learned a long time ago that it is impossible to "be" Martha. I do love to cook, I'm not big on the crafts and who, really, likes to clean. I caught one of her shows the other morning while I was, yes, cleaning the kitchen and she did have a guy on there with the coolest dog accessories. Did I write down the website? No, of course not. Can I even remember the company. No. Could I go to her website and find it out? Yes. Will I. No.
I also like your comment about going to Disneyland for vacation. Could you please tell my kids they have to go to Disneyland for vacation--it is waaaaaay cheaper than London, Scotland, Copenhagen, Nevis... well, you get the idea.
Posted by: Kari Lubitz | January 16, 2009 at 11:00 PM
@Kari: Now you tell me! Had I known you get to go to London, Scotland, Copenhagen, and Nevis, maybe I would have had them. I haven't been to any of those places! Whooda thunk.
Posted by: Retired Syd | January 17, 2009 at 08:27 AM
This is absolutely key; something I need to remind myself every day - especially since I tend to be the kind of person who gets too attached to the idea of liking something without considering if I actually enjoy doing it.
On a broader scale, I think it's true to say that if you don't know who you are when you retire, retirement won't magically teach you.
(oh, btw, I'm now following you on Twitter... though I'm not sure my tweets have much to do with my blog...)
Posted by: Lise | January 21, 2009 at 01:08 PM
Great Blog as usual! Thank you for sharing.
Posted by: Ann Hearn | December 25, 2011 at 04:26 PM