What's the Highlight of Your Day?

[Rianne]

Daily highlights have changed drastically since RE.

Old highlights: Impress boss, coworkers, raise, promotion. Those moments always interfered with the important stuff, like family or long walks. Long walks turned into thoughts about work and family discussions turned into a work related situation. It was hard for DH/me to turn it off. Even vacations, although getting away from work, always reverted back to work.

New Highlights: Saw a red fox race across the field while walking dog. Thinking about going swimming, volunteer activities at the forest preserve. What Netflix/Prime movie to watch. Figure out what my neighbor is doing to her lawn. Realized we get senior discounts at the movie theater. Reaching 30,000 points at movie theater which means a $25 gift card. Sharing Bruce Springstein audio book with husband. And the list goes on...work now in the rear view mirror slowly fading into the sunset.

 

[aja8888]

What's the Highlight of Your Day?

Generally, waking up and still being alive for starters.

After that, anything can happen.

 

[KenZ71]

Setting new personal best milestones

* Days alive
* Remember laundry in wash in same day it goes in
* Longer walks with dogs

 

[Ronstar]

Going for a hike
Playing in my workshop
Going for a bike ride
Going to the movies
Going for a car / truck ride in the country
Taking photos in an awesome remote landscape

 

[Red Badger]

Daily highlights have changed drastically since RE.

Old highlights: Impress boss, coworkers, raise, promotion. Those moments always interfered with the important stuff, like family or long walks. Long walks turned into thoughts about work and family discussions turned into a work related situation. It was hard for DH/me to turn it off. Even vacations, although getting away from work, always reverted back to work.

New Highlights: Saw a red fox race across the field while walking dog. Thinking about going swimming, volunteer activities at the forest preserve. What Netflix/Prime movie to watch. Figure out what my neighbor is doing to her lawn. Realized we get senior discounts at the movie theater. Reaching 30,000 points at movie theater which means a $25 gift card. Sharing Bruce Springstein audio book with husband. And the list goes on...work now in the rear view mirror slowly fading into the sunset.

Very nice post. Well written.

During w*rking years, vacations always included emails, conf calls and just staying on top of things (otherwise, return was a sh!t storm). A sad life. Ditto with daily life - w*rk crap like a bad God (seldom visible - always present - ever demanding).

Now retired ~18 months. Completely decompressed and loving each day.
Wake up north of the dirt +
Walk aging fur kid +
Make breakfast for DW +
3-6 mile hike +
Then, just whatever +

Like others here, work could be rewarding and challenging/exciting. But usually came with a high price. I'm just glad that we always kept the big picture (freedom) foremost in our efforts. Mega-c*rp got what they wanted, but we got "ours" as well.

So, now living "happily ever after" in our little fairy tale.

 

[HillCountry]

Well, it’s personal choice to let work take over the life.

I never bring my laptop on my trip and I don’t have work email on my phone.

I don’t talk with DW on anything work related either.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

By and far, getting up and seeing a fantastic sunrise. My home "office" has an outstanding view to the east and the sunrises here are absolutely breath taking. Rare that I have a bad day after watching a magnificent sunrise...it puts everything into perspective and gives me an opportunity to be thankful for a wonderful life.

 

[NW-Bound]

Generally, waking up and still being alive for starters.

After that, anything can happen.

At the age of most people here, if you are not in pain, that's a plus.

And if you do not have to spend any part of the day waiting in a doctor's office, let alone spending time in a hospital recovering from a painful surgery (and having big scars to prove it ), well, that's groovy.

And if you recovered from multiple surgeries like that, and were able to take a long RV trip to Alaska and climb on top of a few glaciers, you consider yourself really blessed.

 

[jjquantz]

I tried really hard to keep the workplace away from home life and succeeded for the most part. But, the emotional impact of going to work everyday plus the hours that it took away still was a major factor in reducing the number of "golden moments" before retirement. Many days, the sole highlight of the day was the bicycle ride home from the office.

Now - practicing and playing the flute in the morning, playing the harpsichord in the afternoon. Singing sappy, old Irish tunes for DW. Singing in a group that performs 15th century music. Planning for auditions with new groups. Some of these were also daily highlights during my working years, but now they happen more often and I can see my skill level improving which makes me even happier.

 

[Bamaman]

Daily highlights are:

Wayne Brady and Let's Make A Deal.
Then it's the Price is Right the next hour.
Both are just so positive with the audience pulling for the contestants

It's nap time after that before lunch.

 

[NYEXPAT]

#1 My 4 y/o climbing into our bed at 5 am, playing with my eyebrow and saying "I love you Daddy"!

#2 The additional 20x a day he say's it.

#3 The fresh squeezed juice my wife makes every morning.

#4 That other thing on Sunday mornings.

#5 Housekeeper always handing me my morning coffee, and doing it again at
2pm.

 

[Nick12]

#1 My 4 y/o climbing into our bed at 5 am, playing with my eyebrow and saying "I love you Daddy"!

#2 The additional 20x a day he say's it.

#3 The fresh squeezed juice my wife makes every morning.

#4 That other thing on Sunday mornings.

#5 Housekeeper always handing me my morning coffee, and doing it again at
2pm.

Gotta love having hired help around the house. When I vacationed in Bolivia, Colombia and Panama I stayed in homes with housekeepers living with the family. Treated me like a member of the family. Great times.

 

[RobbieB]

I look forward to having a nice expensive lunch during my midday errands.

 

[street]

New Highlights:
I enjoy having a lunch time and being not in a hurry. I took very few lunch breaks when working.

Waking up and doing anything I want for the day.

What ever I do I'm never in a hurry and I treasure that. It was 90 everyday and on call 24/7/365 so I treasure every second of my time now.

My passion is the outdoors so now I hunt, fish, hike, spend a lot of time at the ranch.

Snowshoed into cabin/ranch today and had a great day and that is a highlight I do very often. A few pictures of the walk in.

 

[Rianne]

^ Snow, mountains and trees...these are a few of my favorite things. I bathe in pics like that. They make me smile.

 

[scrabbler1]

I look forward to my daily, late-afternoon nap. When I was working, I could take one twice a week on the weekend and maybe on Friday if I got home a little early from work and was going out that night so I would be able to stay up a little later.


When I worked part-time for 7 years, the number of afternoons grew, depending on the part-time work arrangement I had. But once I fully retired 10 years ago, the nap became daily, 7 days a week!

 

[PointBreeze]

1. Waking up naturally (no alarm) and remembering I'm retired!
2. Realizing I get to spend another day with DP
3. Getting to decide how I want to spend the day
4. Creating some art
5. Going for a walk whenever I want to