With all the political antics and sensational stories going on in the news, sometimes it is good to just step back and look at a day in your life. Lord thank you for "this day." Each morning when I wake I am grateful for being able to do so, while so many others do not.
Now that I have retired my life is pretty simple and I try to keep it stress free. I'm pretty old school so I get a cup of coffee and read the "newspaper" every morning. I go to the gym about three times a week in the mornings, and then settle in for a little book reading or CNN watching in the afternoon. On the days that I don"t go to the gym I do housework, pay bills, or run errands at the stores.
This is the simple life and I'm OK with it. My wife has gone into the teaching profession for various reasons. First, was the fact that like children and she is teaching in elementary schools mostly in grades three through five. She has three daughters and they have eight children between them so she has been around this age group for awhile, and loves the grandkids. Secondly my wife has always had her own income of some kind. Now that I have retired and we are on a fixed income, she needs to have discretionary funds for her many endeavors such as hair, nails, Whole Foods, Macy's, etc. Third, she has a Messiah complex, meaning that she has to fix everyone and the children need her. I may talk about this at another time, but not right now.
Since it is summer and Donna is not working, and she is home with me. After being married for almost twenty years we still love each other and make the necessary adjustments to keep life happy and are best friends. Some days are hard for me because we are different. I don't know how she can handle all the pressure of always being right and needing to check on everything that everyone else is doing.
I have learned that as I have gotten older my wife believes that I can no longer drive. She has become a constant passenger seat driver, with an ongoing commentary on the other folks on the road. "This person should get over, what no turn signal, they must be sleepy, look out for them they might be texting." I can't park in the right space, I didn't turn the wheel right, too close to someone else's car, don't follow them because they are going to slow.
Lesson number two has been to not touch the thermostat. this may be a woman's thing but Donna goes through changes of being hot and cold several times a day. I am scolded for turning either the air conditioning or the heat, up or down. It is either too cold or too hot and I will hear about it. Now I let the temperature be regulated by her and in either case I can handle it.
Last but not least is the laundry. I have been doing laundry all my life, since I had no sisters and a working mother. I don't mind it and even find ironing relaxing. Unfortunately while trying to do my part of the housework I was severely reprimanded for was some of her items, or putting them i n the dryer when I shouldn't have. Now I only wash my things, where they don't become a burden and I can use whatever wash and drying cycle I want.
My wife is not a nagger, but she has a way of letting you know that you have not met her high expectations. She normally talks to you in the third person. Example,."How could anyone go outside and not turn the light out? How could someone not have rinsed out that bottle before putting it into the recycling bin, and how could someone not take the trash out when the trashcan was full?" Only a few examples.
With all this said life is good, I love my wife and we still enjoy each others company. With so much death, pain, and injustice in the world, my day can be considered a success everyday and always brings a smile to my face at some point.
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