A week in the life of a retiree

I celebrate the 3 month anniversary of my retirement today and so far it's going great. Of course, I could be like the person falling off a 100 story skyscraper who gave that same answer as he passed the 50th floor. "Doing great so far!" he said.

Seriously, a little planning, a little luck, and a lot of understanding friends and family have helped me transition into a lifestyle that feels very comfortable while still being challenging and allowing me room to grow and change. I have a set routine to get me up each morning as well as the flexibility and time to add new adventures as I go.

Since several have asked why I'm doing with my time, here is my typical weekly schedule:

Sunday - church, consisting of anywhere from 4 to 6 hours of meetings, worship, choir practice and visiting with friends who share my religious tradition.

Monday - Friends of the Sacramento Public Library. As the treasurer of this auxiliary group of the Sacramento Library, I am responsible for the accounting records and reports to the board of directors. We have an annual budget of about $100,000 so this is not a trivial responsibility. I devote as much time each Monday as this requires.

Tuesday - volunteer at the local library. Currently, I am responsible for pulling from the active shelves the books, tapes, and videos that patrons have requested and reserved. This amounts to pulling between 60 and 120 items listed on a daily printout.

Wednesday - consulting for Alta California Regional Center. This is the closest to my pre-retirement work and consists mainly of research and reporting of data and trends that may be useful in the financial management of the Center. I get to practice my analysis and computer skills and actually get paid for having fun.

Thursday - deliver Meals on Wheels. This program is under the auspices of the County Senior Nutrition Services and entails delivering hot meals to 12 to 16 elderly clients who are unable to cook for themselves and get out of the house only with great difficulty.

Friday - participate in the Renaissance Society at Sacrament State University. This consists of a morning forum discussion and afternoon classes. This semester starts with an orientation on January 26 so I'm still waiting to see how involved this will be.

Saturday - a day off to do things with the family, work around the house, or go adventuring with my wife. Even retirees need a weekend.