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Is there such a thing as a perfect “normal” day? I don’t mean vacations and special occasions, just a normal day. I’m not sure if there is: but I can easily describe my days that come closest.
For me, any Wednesday is an ideal candidate. That’s when automatic payments from two separate annuities drop into my checking account—easily covering all my essential spending. Getting to this point took decades of consistent saving, long hours and some luck, but now it just runs in the background.
The day starts early, which might sound boring. I don’t have unlimited time, and I don’t like wasting it lounging around all morning. Up and at ’em works for me.
First up: taking the grandkids to school. It’s only thirty minutes of togetherness, but that time is priceless—interacting with young minds and being “silly pops.” It’s so refreshing being an idiot with the kids.
Later in the morning or early afternoon, I meet up with friends to play a racket sport for a few hours. It doesn’t matter which one. The whole point is getting decent exercise, having a laugh, and catching up over coffee afterward. Social sports, I guess you’d call it.
By late afternoon, Suzie and I take a walk together, shooting the breeze about nothing and everything in our family life.
At some point in the evening, we have a homemade meal and settle in. Typically, I’m reading or trying to write an article for Humble Dollar while Suzie catches up on something on TV before we call the day successful and head for an early night.
Not massively exciting, you might think. But look a little deeper and I think it’s a great day. My financial life runs on autopilot. I’m connecting with younger generations. Exercise is covered. I’m socializing with friends and having fun. Time with my wife and cultivating our marriage happens naturally, along with healthy eating and good sleep.
To me, that’s as close as I’ll get to a perfect day. And most importantly, it’s achieved without difficulty or effort. It’s awesome having a perfect day. Now I’m trying my best on figuring out how to have more of them and adapt to any changes life throws our way.
So what about you? Do you ever get your own personal perfect “normal” day? What does it look like? Does it hit all the “food groups”: health, connection, financial?
Normal day: Up sometime between 7 and 8, make my faux-mocha (actually just a pot of strong coffee dosed with a dollop of chocolate creamer), check email and a few websites (Everton, Humble Dollar, Chicago Bears) and then work for an hour or so, in my bathrobe if there’s no Zoom call.
Late morning, a trip to the gym or run errands, unless it’s Thursday, which means my Meals on Wheels route. Big lunch, nice long nap, walk a couple of miles around the neighborhood with the family and the dog if the weather’s nice.
Wednesday night is singing for three hours, Friday night is refereeing soccer for three hours. Unless I’m rehearsing for a play, the other evenings are free for TV (movies or the European soccer games I recorded during the day). Couple sets of pushups, light late snack, and so to bed.
Of course this breakneck pace will ease a bit when I actually retire.
I’m guessing you’re looking forward to the soccer World Cup next summer, maybe even get to a match? You might see Jordan Pickford in action. I read an article yesterday about ticket prices for the final. Nearly $5,000—unbelievable!
A perfect normal day for me starts with awakening at 5, after 7 hours of good sleep, greeting my spouse who has already made the coffee, reading the local newspaper. Do a few puzzles on the NYT website, check headlines and read some articles. Same for the Washington Post (my home town paper). Local TV news for weather info.
Around 7, I have fruit & yoghurt for breakfast and watch the sun come up over the Gulf of Mexico outside my 11th floor windows.
Every day, I am glad we waitlisted at our CCRC for 3 years to get an apartment with a view – we are grateful for that and many reasons to live here. We’ve been here for 3 years and like it better every day.
Around 8, we walk around the 15 acre property, checking on the ducks and other birds in the pond, and admiring new blooms in the volunteer-managed orchid garden.
There are the usual medical appointments to keep, and challenges to meet in the years ahead, but we are blessed with fairly few health problems at this point (approaching 80s). There are financial accounts to monitor and occasional meetings with advisor. Saving for retirement starting in our 30s was a good idea.
I check in with friends & family by email and seek to regularly make plans together. Also I send or answer emails about volunteer committee meetings and activities. I belong to the Health & Wellness Committee here and serve as my floor’s representative to the Resident Council.
I work a two-hour shift one day each week in our library – my favorite volunteer job. It’s a great place to meet new people and catch up on news of other residents. Not to mention first crack at the latest books.
We eat a hearty lunch in the dining room most days and take home leftovers – so luxurious to not have to plan, shop for, and prepare meals. We get together for early dinners on Sundays with a dozen friends here in one of the private dining rooms. There are lectures, concerts, classes, etc to round things out.
It’s a wonderful life and I am grateful for it. And I know that life can change in the blink of an eye.
I really hope when I’m approaching eighty I still have the richness of life you clearly enjoy.
I’ve been retired a bit over five months, and my husband is still working, so I’m not sure I’m quite in retirement mode yet, but I’m settling into a nice rhythm on weekdays.
I wake up early, have a cup of coffee (or two if I feel like it), check out headlines/social media. Then I play Wordle, fill up my water bottle, and change into my workout clothes. I have a spin bike and rower at home and also do strength classes. I usually work out for 45-60 minutes. Some days I take a 50-min Pilates class at a local studio, and others, if weather permits, I’ll take a lengthy walk, usually instead of cycling. (My legs can tolerate 4-5 days a week of cycling but not 7.)
After the workout and shower, I’ll head to my computer for a couple of hours of productive activity—I’m still doing some academic writing projects that I’m working on at a leisurely pace, I do some writing for church activities (teaching or curriculum), and I write for a baseball fan site and sometimes for HD. By lunchtime, I’m usually done with sitting at a computer. Depending on the day, I’ll run errands, nap, cook, or read in the afternoon. Evenings are either social (cards or wine tasting with groups of neighbors, Friday night dinners at home with friends or out, Wednesday night Bible study group in our home) or relaxing over a sporting event or TV show with my husband. I usually head toward bed before 9 p.m. and read a bit in bed until I’m sleepy.
I like this pace. I’m enjoying retirement a lot so far. I thought I’d miss my job at least a little bit, but—nope.
I’m not many months ahead of you. By the sound of it, you’re bedding into a great retirement rhythm. Figuring it out is a great problem to have!
On this very day some 174 years ago Thoreau pondered a related question:
“I wished for leisure and quiet to let my life flow in its proper channels, with its proper currents; when I might not waste the days, might establish daily prayer and thanksgiving in my family; might do my own work and not the work of Concord and Carlisle, which would yield me better than money.”
—Journal, December 12, 1851
Thank you for pointing out the synchronicity of the dates. It seems the challenge of finding one’s “proper channels” is truly timeless. I’m glad my current rhythm feels like a modern version of him finally getting to “do my own work.”
Sounds fine. But also a reflection of your planning/good fortune to be close to grandkids, sporting playmates etc. What is more of interest to me is what a “normal” day looks like when I relocate to where I am planning in retirement. Certainly there will be more solo activity but also a need to travel somewhat if I am to take up certain group sports/activities, which probably means a weekly rather than a daily schedule.
Relocation would certainly add to the difficulty in creating a social structure during retirement. I was happy to stay embedded within my current location.
My normal day used to be similar to yours, We too spent much time taking care of grandchildren and travel. In our case all that was years ago.
These days I welcome a day with nothing to do. I used to walk a couple of miles a day, my motivation has waned as birthdays passed.
Connie’s back problems prevent her from walking even half a block, her eye injury now prevents her from driving. We joke that our dates are mostly spent in a doctor’s office. If it’s Wednesday, that day is set, it’s chemo therapy for many months ahead.
Friends have passed or moved away, grandchildren are rapidly being fully independent. Our third grandson recently and delicately mentioned the possibility of using Connie’s Jaguar to drive to school since she doesn’t drive.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining or trying to depress anyone, but the message is clear in retirement- carpe diem.
Right there in your reply is probably one of the best reasons to retire at our earliest convenience: life slowly closes in as we age. Carpe diem, indeed. (Although I know we think differently on this point)
Mark, still working, so a perfect normal day is ….. the weekend!
However this article reminds me of a podcast that I listen to called “Strangers on a Bench” by Tom Rosenthal. His first two questions are always “What is your favourite day of the week?” Followed up by “What does your perfect (insert day of the week) look like?”.
Highly recommended.
I’ll have to check out Tom Rosenthal’s many conversations on the park bench. Thanks for the referral!
I listen to many TED.com speeches. One that I found along the lines to what you might be saying is by Charles Duhigg called The Science Behind Dramatically Better Conversations.