Quote:
Originally Posted by Katsmeow
The other day I worked at home while some people were doing work at my house and I went to the store during normal workday hours. I was astonighed at how easy it was to find parking and do shopping. Then I realized I could do that all the time in a few weeks.
|
That was one of the big changes for me as well. I've become very used to running around doing things during the weekdays without crowds and traffic. One day, after about a year into retirement, I found myself caught up in a traffic jam, and I was fuming about the situation. "Why are there so many cars on the road at 2 in the afternoon? Don't these people have jobs?", I wonder aloud - to which my son replied, "Dad, it's Saturday."
Shopping, especially for groceries, and working out at the gym are activities that can be a breeze when you do them at off-peak times. All of the working stiffs try to cram that stuff in before and after work, so the gyms are almost deserted between 9 and 3 and so are most stores. I avoid the grocery store like the plague between 4 and 6 in the afternoons on weekdays or any time on Sunday afternoon.
In fact, I find that the most desirable place to be on a weekday evening is sitting on my back porch enjoying the late afternoon sun. Once you get used to doing your daily errands in a less hectic manner, you begin to notice how frenzied the working people get when they're on their way home in the evening. Whether they're driving home on the roads, or pushing a cart around the market, they all have the same mindset - "Must Get Home,
Now!" You don't want to be mixed up with them when they're like that, it can be dangerous.
On the flip side you also learn to avoid "Senior Shopping Day" at the grocery store. Trying to shop while weaving in and out of the oldsters is a little too much for me. I've learned to scan the parking lot when I pull in, and if there is a small bus from one of the local retirement villages I just keep on going - it can wait until later.