Surprise! An Update from Sydney

(Photo Details:  That's me at the piano in my first jazz combo performance--playing Take the A Train)

 

How long I have been retired now:  11 years.

Questions I never ask anymore:  Do I have enough money to get me through the rest of my retirement?  How will I fill my time?  Should I be more productive?  What will people think when I tell them I’m retired? 

Oh, and I never feel guilty about being retired.

In fact, I never think about my life as “retired life.”  It’s just life.  Which is probably why I haven’t been blogging about retirement at all the last couple years. I don’t contemplate the “issues” of retirement anymore. 

Questions I do ponder now: Will I ever be a really great jazz pianist?  (Heck, I'd settle for really good.)  Am I practicing in the best way to improve my skills?  Will I ever be able to perform without feeling nervous?  When will I be so comfortable playing with other people that I can listen to the other musicians and respond in real time?

Oh and will I survive another Trump presidency if it comes to that? 

But mostly it’s the music that consumes me.  It is my passion. 

In a lot of ways, my life now looks much like it did when I was working.  I actually get up earlier, because now I have a cat and she wakes me up early because she doesn’t know how to make her own breakfast.

I spend hours in the morning at my computer.  But instead of working, I’m checking in on the stock market, reading the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and the Washington Post.  (Well actually, that’s a lot like when I was working too, to be totally honest . . .).  I’m answering email and planning my day.  Because I’ve got to squeeze in a workout and an hour or two (or three) of playing my piano. Because Monday night is small jazz combo class, and Thursday night is jazz big band class with my dad.  And Wednesday is piano lesson day.  Tuesday I have a regular walking date and Fridays a regular lunching date.

It’s a lot like work, I mean if you totally loved everything you were doing every minute of every day when you were working.

And just like back in the day, we’re on the couch with a glass of wine at 5pm watching Anderson Cooper. Unwinding from our day’s activities.

Things I still love to do when I can squeeze them in:  Painting my house, gardening, reading.

Things I used to love but not so much anymore:  Travel.

Things I used to love but am now taking out for a test drive again:  Blogging.

 

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Related Posts:

    Postcard from Retirement

    Are any of You Still Out There?

    How Did I Ever Have Time for Work?

Comments

[suzanne vosbikian]

OMG, she's back! I had to look twice to remember who the hell Sydney is!! Sorry! So glad to hear that you have been too busy living life to worry about a blog post. After fifteen years of retirement I feel exactly the same way. It's just life. Welcome back.

[Caree Risover]

Long time no see 🧐

[Sydney]

Nice to know there are at least two of you still out there--thank you! Hoping I don't cause any heart attacks from the shock of it. Get ready, I've got a couple more posts in the hopper too.

[Dave Walsh]

Awesome! Great update and always welcome. Very impressed you have taken your piano interests to this level. I'm a big jazz fan too. Here's to a functioning adult in 2020 (vs what we have today) ;-)

[Angela]

Hey Sydney!
I’ve been thinking about you over the last couple months. So glad to hear you are doing well! I’m still enjoying early retirement (since age 43) and at 51 I have a new love in my life! I’m trying to encourage him to retire with me. He is still a little leery, and wants to work another 2 to 5 years. But I think I will get him on board after that. Maybe if I show him your blog… Welcome back!

[Donna]

Hi, Syd - It’s wonderful to hear from you. I had just checked your site the other day to ensure that I had not accidentally missed a post. I’ve been retired for four years. I totally agree with your overall message. There are so many things that I worried about when I first retired, that I now think about much less often. Similarly, there are things that I thought I would love to do when I retired that I’ve either ignored or haven’t gotten around to yet. Right now, I am test-driving ancestry research. We’ll see how that goes.
I loved reading your updates and hope that you continue to keep us posted. :)

[Sydney]

Dave: "Any functioning adult 2020" is a yard sign popping up in my neighborhood lately. Just like you said.

[Diane C]

OMG, indeed! I've been jonesing for an update especially hard for the last ten days or so, to the point that I was very tempted too send you a messagel. I figured you were busy and would surface when you were ready. I am so glad that happened! Yippee!
I've been retired for almost seven years and love, love, love my life. I'm glad you're enjoying yours too. Funny the topic is Jazz. Tonight we're seeing Ralph Peterson and the Messenger Legacy Sextet over here on the other side of the Bay. I'll be watching pianist Zaccai Curtis and thinking of you.
Thanks for this lovely surprise today!
P.S. I hope Tamara is doing well too.

[Mark]

Welcome back - missed you! Really liked the questions you don't ask yourself anymore.

[Janis @ RetirementallyChallenged]

Great to see you in blogland again! Good to know that you are still having fun and doing whatever you want to do. Congrats on your piano progress! I hope to see more of your posts in the coming months.

[Luisa]

Ok, so this comment is worth a post. I'd really like to understand your following comment:

"Things I used to love but not so much anymore: Travel"

Did you get burned out on travel? Didn't want to interfere with your piano? Just too darn scary to travel given guns and combs? Something else?

[Sydney]

Louisa: First of all, thank you, your recent email is the thing that spurred me back into blogging a bit. And second of all, you'll have to stay tuned until tomorrow when I finish the post answering the travel question. This post was a little bit of foreshadowing of other posts. See how I did that?

[Sydney]

Angela, Donna and Diane C: I guess we're all sort of growing up together in retirement now--at that next stage.

Mark and Janis: Thank you!

[Sydney]

P.S. To Diane---so glad you are supporting jazz--enjoy!!!!!

[Joyce]

Glad to hear from you again! Don't play any instruments, but do love soft jazz. Just went last Sunday to see Dave Koz & Friends at Smooth Summer Jazz at the Hollywood Bowl. Fantastic concert!

PS - only 1 cat needing breakfast? Try having 4 ..... :-)

[Sydney]

Joyce: Wow, you are a glutton for punishment!

[Marie]

I love your posts and am so glad to get the update! I am five years into retirement and am almost to the point of your set of questions. Instead of jazz, though, watercolor painting is my thing. Can't wait to hear your thoughts about travel! Waiting with baited breath! : )

[Mary]

I started following you prior to my retirement in 2016 as I was seeking some insights before I hit the ground running :). Always enjoyed so much all that you shared with us and am so happy to see you back! I'm loving retirement, but definitely still figuring out where I want to play in all of it...putting my toes into things here and there. So glad you're loving life, and looking forward to hearing more from you in the future!

[Linda Vaughn]

WooHoo! You're back! I almost thought of sending you a note asking how the piano was coming along. I recall you lamenting it could take you 10,000 hours to get good at it. Sounds like you didn't buy it! Good for you. I still think about your column that said something to the effect that "retirement gives you opportunity to think about the things you want to think about--not what others want you to think about." That's the best part. Always enjoy hearing from you!

[Sydney]

Linda: Well, because I'm still a recovering accountant, I've been keeping track. I'm at 2,700 hours now. The difference between that and 500 is amazing. That's why I'm tracking it--to remind myself of how the journey was along the way. So I can see why 10,000 is probably truly the mastery number.

Mary: Enjoy your exploration--you sound well on your way!

Marie: I took a look at your work--it is really wonderful. You've really convey a sense of nostalgia in your work (to me anyway--that's the thing about art, right?)

To all you commenters and email responses: Thank you all so much for the warm welcome! You all make the blogging really rewarding for me.

[Jonathan Hooper]

Stick with the jazz. I taught music for 25 years at University, and still cannot handle improvisation beyond a neophyte! But playing bass or trombone is still the most fun I have in retirement! And I am with you--I like my house better than extensive travel. After all, my house is where my musical instruments live...

[Sydney]

Jonathan: Exactly! Thanks for the encouragement.

[Marylou]

Yeah! So glad to see you post again.... It’s like hearing from an old friend. Sounds like you are doing well. Can t wait to hear more about your adventures,

[Sydney]

Marylou: You don't know how happy I am that so many of my old friends are still out there!

[Cece]

Sydney, I have missed your voice in retirement blogland! Anything you publish is worth reading though if you wanted to pop out of retirement to run for a certain federal executive position, I wouldn’t mind that either!