House Husbandry

To be or not to be … retired?  That is not the question.  It would seem my more relevant question should be, “How retired do I want to be?” 

   There really isn’t anything peculiar about retirement.  I write of it simply because “retirement” is the description of my current stage in life; the same question confronts us regardless of our status.  How much do you want to play, study, work, or perform are equally relevant questions. 

          As we advance through life, play as a child, study in school, and work in our “earning years” define what obligates us; leisure as a senior citizen describes a gift of time.    If inclined, it isn’t hard to become a game freak, perennial student, workaholic, or monomaniac in our respective stages of life.  Where is the balance?

   “To be or not to be” is not the question.  “How to be and not to be” at the same time is the question.  That is a conundrum of life. 

   We knew how to balance life when we were kids.  Playing always took precedence over chores, lessons, even eating; the choice was simple and self-evident.  Our friends didn’t mind trampling across our wardrobe to navigate our bedrooms.  We went to school complaining about the onus of homework but somehow managed a social life.  I know this because there just aren’t many of us living in convents or monasteries.  

   As we grew older we gained perspective in many realms but somehow lost it in maintaining balance.  How can we “be successful” and still have a life?  How can we be workers and be husbands or wives, parents, friends or servants?  How do we balance productivity with play, occupational advancement with parenthood, or new careers with the leisure of retirement?

   I was a public servant for nearly half a century.  I am “officially” retired, but I still want to contribute.  I have chosen the modality of writing.  Everything I read from every successful writer tells me that to be successful I have to write every day and “guard jealously the time to write.”  That is a huge time and energy commitment, and by making it I can easily become mono-manic.  I have been a workaholic; it isn’t that noble, and I doubt it was necessary.  The question of how simultaneously to be and not to be lingers.

   My first “official” act as a retiree was to get married; I am a newlywed.  I have a bride who I want to spoil.  On top of that she is still teaching and needs all the spoiling I can give her.  Yet, I hear from some of you when too much time passes between my posts.  The blog experts tell me that if I don’t keep you coming back regularly, you won’t come back.  The competition for your attention is extreme.  The balance between writing and house-husbandry is my personal conundrum.

   I know this isn’t anything new to you wives and mothers working outside the home or for some of you men, but for me it is a new adventure.  It is a new scene in my story.  So, what I have here is a preview of coming attractions.  I intend to add a new topic to this blog, “The Hazards of House Husbandry,” the exploits of one old dog trying to learn new tricks in the balancing act of life.  Stay tuned; it won’t be that long until the first installment, “Does Stephen King Vacuum?”