Emotions seem to be
It seems to me
On the surface
of my mind
Ready to pounce
Just a matter of time
Not sure how to treat them
less seriously
more often
Thought I’d have worked that out by now
Someway
Somehow
Posted in Depression or Anxiety or What?, Joy, Life, NaPoWriMo, Oggi, RETIREMENT, Soup, thoughts
Tagged NaPoWriMo, Poem, Psychological Ponderings, RETIREMENT RIFFS, Ruminations, Self-indulgent, short poem, Water color
Sunshine on Sunday
Soon to be Monday
Look forward to some day
Focus on one day
The one I am in
Posted in A Beautiful Day, Life, NaPoWriMo, Oggi, Poems, RETIREMENT, Water color
Tagged Aspiring to Art, Gratitude, NaPoWriMo, Poem, RETIREMENT, short poem, Water color, Yer' Art
Obsessively seeking certainty
When a problem barges in
It’s what I do
again and again
Especially regarding a medical threat
I research to see
How bad it could get
And the fact is
certainty does not exist
Even if I stomp my feet
Or shake my fist
No matter how much reassurance I find
There is no way to convince my mind
How about trying to stop the fear
Let go of the future until it’s here
Instead of singing WHAT CAN HAPPEN blues
See what condition actually ensues
Over-thinking only makes it worse
The brain is funny that way
so I’m told
Can always freak out later
Try letting it unfold
without the guarantee I seek
At least I can give it
a try for a week
Like it or not
It’s worth a shot
Posted in Groundhog Day, Health, Life, NaPoWriMo, Poems, Poetry of sorts, RETIREMENT, Ruminating, thoughts
Tagged AGING, Existential Angst, NaPoWriMo, Poem, Poetry Maybe, Psychological Ponderings, RETIREMENT, Ruminations
It’s a bright and shiny
crispy-cold morning
in Kalamazoo
This moment is mine
I believe it’s yours, too
Joy arrives in the moments
that see us all through
The future is iffy
That’s always been true
So enjoy every sandwich
and the sky’s shades of blue
Given so much
it’s the least we can do
Posted in A Beautiful Day, All I Have is a Photograph, Gratitude, Joy, Kalamazoo, Life, NaPoWriMo, Poems, RETIREMENT, RETIREMENT RIFFS, Water color
Tagged NaPoWriMo, Poem, Random, RETIREMENT RIFFS, Time is running out, Today
Used to be you’d look quite cool in sunglasses
Now you look like you might have cataracts
It’s just not the same
Used to be you’d hurry up
But now you take your time
Jumping up and down won’t work
You can’t turn on a dime
Many things are better now
In your heart and in your mind
But the ease of youth
so quickly passed
is sadly left behind
It’s something that you miss
But right now…
it’s like this
Posted in Life, NaPoWriMo, RETIREMENT, RETIREMENT RIFFS, THE AGING ADVANTAGE
Tagged NaPoWriMo, Poem, RETIREMENT RIFFS, Time is running out
Feeling up, energetic, safe
I knew that I could
Also…
Feeling down, sleepy,
headed for something
that might not be good
Happens all at once
Or within moments of time
Pushing me from the absurd to sublime
Right now…
That’s how it is
A hit and a miss
Inner peace and contentment
Can be elusive like this
May you
And may me
Be happy anyway
Safe and untroubled and mostly okay
At ease, on occasion, if not everyday
Posted in Gratitude, Life, Photograph, Photos, Poems, Poetry of sorts, RETIREMENT, RETIREMENT RIFFS
Tagged moods, NaPoWriMo, Photos, Picture, Poem, Random, RETIREMENT, Ruminations
Second guessing
Once again
All my consequential inconsequential choices
Yes, I am
Spend more money?
Get a job?
Get a haircut?
Some sort of bob?
Drink coffee or let it be?
Take a vitamin B or D?
Take a trip?
Or just stay home?
Worry about health
Or leave it alone?
Today I choose
To let it be
Accept my choices
Trust myself
Inner voices
on a shelf
It all works out
until it doesn’t
No point in suffering here
over something that wasn’t
Posted in Life, NAPOMO 2024, NaPoWriMo, Photos, Poetry of sorts, RETIREMENT, RETIREMENT RIFFS, Ruminating
Tagged Existential Angst, Photos, Poem, Poetry Maybe, Random, RETIREMENT RIFFS
I’m not bereft
Because I’m not deprived
…feeling quite happy to be alive
Although if I weren’t alive
I never would know
and happiness and contentment
would have no place to go
But I digress…
At the moment I am in…all is well
What happens next…
You never can tell!
Posted in Coffee, Gratitude, Life, Oggi, Photos, Poetry of sorts, RETIREMENT, RETIREMENT RIFFS, thoughts
Tagged Aspiring to Art, Poem, RETIREMENT RIFFS, Today, Yer' Art
Here today
And gone tomorrow
Rather not spend it lost in sorrow
So if it’s a choice of something
peaceful
Why not take it?
Could be happiness
is a lot of what we make it
This world has ALWAYS and ALWAYS
been out of kilter
Some of its noisiest, obnoxious
people have no perceivable filter
Grateful to have been in the middle of
so much good so far
even with all my unanswered questions
and the world will be sublime and bizarre
with or without my many suggestions
Posted in Gratitude, Life, NAPOMO 2024, Photograph, Poetry of sorts, RETIREMENT, RETIREMENT RIFFS
Tagged Existential Angst, Flowers, Gratitude, NaPoWriMo, Photos, Poem, Poetry Maybe, short poem
So this is retirement.
Being able to focus more and more on what you choose and less on what is done in exchange for payment in the form of a paycheck.
Some say they feel aimless and at loose ends; or even feel useless. Understandable. After so many, many years of being driven by the task at hand at work and company goals and concerns; not to mention the need for consistent income or formal education; it can take some time to adjust to being totally self-motivated and driven by one’s own preferences and inspirations.
And what if a person has no motivations or inspirations? Wait, maybe that’s not actually the case. Maybe a person just needs to learn, or re-learn, what it is that inspires and engages said person. It’s something that I can lose sight of……um…..I mean it’s something some imaginary person can lose sight of.
It can seem like a revelation that preferences and abilities and talents of one sort or another even exist after awhile. Time gets eaten up by work and all kinds of maintenance stuff. Creative or playful pursuits can often be left out of the picture. Once there is the time and space to focus on them, it can be satisfying to unravel the simple joys that may have been hibernating.
Being part of the working world does have it’s perks; but for me, enough is enough.
For now, I like having minimal commitments, very few deadlines and fewer urgent to-do-lists; a dramatic contrast to the conditions at work. The responsibilities are mine for my life and do not impact employees and clients and the health and welfare of a company. Phew. I can breathe freely more often. It’s nice.
Bonus: I can get outside and walk every day and I can be in the sunshine in the summer without causing myself problems with deadlines. I can write and read and draw and watercolor and grow tomatoes and not have to hurry up. Also nice.
The old saying is that “if a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing well” but that is so limiting. If a thing is worth doing, it can even be worth doing badly in order to experience the process and learn what you love to do.
So this is retirement: finding my way as I stumble into the future.
One perspective by Robin Benjamin
Posted in Life, Photograph, RETIREMENT
Tagged AGING, Photos, RETIREMENT RIFFS, Riffs of Retirement
robinbenjamin4 