Life Within Bumping Distance

For those of you who are still just dreaming about retirement and wondering if it could possibly be as good as your fantasies, I hope you find this inspirational: it is that good. Even in this trailer, where we literally can't move without bumping into each other or the dogs, this has been the best "vacation" of our lives. Allow me to elaborate:

Sleep: We go to bed when we're tired, and get up when we feel like it. If the dogs get us up in the middle of the night, no biggy...we can always take a nap the next day if we're sleepy.

Naps: Haven't needed one since we moved. It's too much fun being awake. Don nods off about once a day after lunch...and feels no guilt about it.

Eating habits: We eat three meals together every day. We're eating dinner nowdays at 6:30 instead of 10:30. Much better for our digestive systems!

Newspaper: We read a delightfully upbeat daily paper from Missoula. Don reads it cover to cover, leisurely. And then takes a short nap.

Shaving: Don does it when he has to go to town.

Clothes: Wear something moderately clean that covers the body and keeps you warm.

Snow: Don doesn't even mind it anymore. And I love it.

Worries & stress: Huh?

Waking up: A happy and optimistic feeling every morning.

Calendars: Don't matter.

Oatmeal: We've had it every other day. Had it six times a year previous to moving here.

Peanut butter: I never knew my husband liked it till we moved here.

Big day in town: Going to the library to rent old videos, then off to Minnie's Cafe for a $2 bowl of soup.

Big Sunday afternoon: Going to massage class together at the local grade school.

Big night: When we both take our three-minute showers...

Internet: Don has learned to enjoy surfing until he can't think of anything else to look at.

Solitaire: We've enjoyed lots of it, and Don's learned how to shuffle cards like a pro.

Outside World: Hard to even imagine down here in our pocket of Paradise.

This "winter vacation," where we entertained ourselves with solitaire, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, old movies, and internet shopping is coming to an end. As we begin moving into our new home, our daily minutes are now spent unpacking, cleaning, and organizing. We won't be bumping into each other as frequently in that big house. Frankly, I'm going to kind of miss that!