"...being a heavy drinker or pothead at any age is a road to hell and death."
Not necessarily. Many of my friends from H.S. and College never stopped partying. (Some are high level executives and are still doing LSD among other things. (!) ) Without exception, they have all had successful lives and have been productive members of Society.
How could that be? They were all exceptional people to begin with.
That's why I have maintained their friendships for 30-50+ years.
That said, I have also watched substance abuse destroy and end lives.
It depends on the individual(s) in question I guess.
Fair enough, although I'll mention two "yeah buts". First is the very common phenomenon of functional alcoholics -- people whose lives look fine on the outside but whose inner, relational, physical or spiritual lives are in trouble. It can be amazing what people can hide. I'm not saying that about your friends; you've known them 30+ years and obviously I don't know them at all; I'm just throwing that out as a general caveat. Second, we may have different images of what a "heavy drinker" or "pothead" means. When I said that, I meant heavy, daily (or near-daily) use.
I should also separate alcohol and weed. Alcohol is the major villain by a long stretch. I'll rephrase and just make this a personal statement of belief: heavy, regular use of alcohol is the road to hell and death. (To be clear, that's not what I was engaged in; I'd describe that as excessive but short-term use. But it was enough to give me a taste of that hell.)
I gave myself 6 months to decompress. And it took that six months or longer. Only after that period did I move forward with major decisions about my goals In retirement.
Yes, this is another thing I'm finding. The need to just rest and take care of myself. A lot of things have changed. Even good changes can be stressful. I noticed my body/spirit telling me lately: "Hey, slow down and take it easy. We've been through a lot of changes. We need time to rest and adjust." I tend to push myself, so I have to remind myself to slow down and take care of myself. No rush.
Congratulations OP great thread.
I learned do limit my alcohol too. It's a depressing drug. Too much makes Jack a dull boy.
Cannibis is awesome, I love to take a few puffs before a 5k or lifting. Of course I often used it while w*rking, helped my code immensely. It's not surprising the prejudice and shaming, sixty years of misinformation does that. It's easy to blame a plant for things that you don't want to see in yourself.
Enjoy your retirement.
Thank you. I appreciate the alternative perspective (which I guess is not so alternative anymore, with weed becoming legal across so many states). I agree that cannabis isn't one-one hundredth the threat that alcohol is. I don't see any real problem with occasional, short-term use. Personally it makes me less productive, not more, but I'm sure others are able to use it in ways that help, as you are. I'm also thinking about musicians. I bet a lot of great music (at least from my era) was aided and abetted by a little cannabis.
Variety in retirement is the spice of life.
Yes, vary your weed; crucial to maintaining spice
Spice is a whole different subject...
Ok, this thread is too focused on alcohol and marijuana. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned it at all. It's really not the main thing that's going on. I feel like it was a blip and a good reminder of what not to do.
Trumpeting angel will help us get back on track.
I retired at the end of June, also. I'm finding some of the same issues:
- too much to do (moving these 401(k)s and 403(b)s to my IRA - put off too long, now I have time and must do it - what a pain!)
- forgetting the day and date (it's August?)
- not worrying (too) much about finances (I'm in pretty good shape).
I moved to Vermont a couple of years ago, and I definitely need more friends. DH would stay home all the time if nobody lit a fire under him, and lighting fires is too much work. I joined a committee in town, and have been reaching out to neighbors, friends, and acquaintances to get together. I need to do more.
I am getting regular exercise for the first time in many years! All that stooping in the garden provoked my IT band, so now I socialize with my physical therapist twice a week. Medicare and Part B (G plan) are paying for it, AFAIK.
I discovered that I will happily spend the whole day outside. I need a rainy day to clean the house or do a bit of my consulting work.
My accountant is my new best friend. I've been DIY with most financial decisions but have him do my taxes since I invested in real estate. Now he is helping me figure out where to get the money to spend until age 70. After I mentioned the U-shaped glide path, he said it didin't sound like I was going to need investment advice and didn't try to sell me any! (He recently became a CFP as well as a (for many years) CPA.)
Although my time is very full, I am usually not rushed. I spent quite a bit of time in the last few days picking Japanese beetles off the roses and dropping them into the chicken's run. Feeding frenzy! They love bugs.
The only problem I can identify is that DH is younger and several years away from retiring. He is jealous. It makes him cranky. Anyone who shared this problem, feel free to PM me!
Life is good.
Very cool. Thanks for sharing your own journey. I like that you have chickens. I haven't lost track of the months yet, but maybe that'll come later.
