What I do? (MTFSO Sent to you from Bahia, Brasil)

this is paramount to asking “who am I”.  What an awful question to ask a retired person; who lives in a country where language is difficult; who lives far from the lives of children and grandchildren; who, when moving to said foreign country, inherited a housekeeper and a gardener; and who is not the most adventuresome person.   Forcing me to face ‘what do I do?’  (God forbid I ask the question – Who am I?)

Life moves along, time passes quite rapidly, so there must be something of substance in those days, months, years.  I don’t watch daytime TV, nor languish on the sofa eating chocolates – so there must be something.  Just this last year I gave up my quasi job of quasi bookkeeping for a small Norwegian company – basically converting Portuguese expenses into English and into US$ reports for Corporate in Oslo.  The job was not at all a challenge and not particularly interesting but kept me in my own spending change for the past 7 years – I will miss the money.  Nothing is worse than having to routinely asking your husband for money so you can buy a jar of hand cream. 

I do spend too many hours on Facebook, and other computer oriented activities.  I drive into town to go to the gym and to run errands…grocery shopping and such (four or 5 hours per week).   I do cook, usually the midday meal which means that daily about two hours are taken care of.  Lets see, I sleep about 7 hours … so that is nine out of 24 …. Add in 3 hours on the computer and two or so on the veranda having coffee or a drink with Camillo listening in while he talks of his day and his contacts in the outside world. and, the average, 1 hour at the gym…  We are now up to 15 of 24 hours accounted for in a day – what happens to the other 9 hours per day? …. are you bored silly yet?

Trying to account for a day in the time of a retired person is a futile exercise.   If I pull back a bit, look at my time from a distance, I can add baking cookies, which I normally take to the gym so the young, slender girls are tempted with the calories  …Lol…and I will not.  I make jams and jellies as the fruits are in season – one of my favorite activities,  and I travel.  Some retired people play golf, or lunch at the country club and play cards, we travel. 

Usually, I have one or two trips a year to Houston / Adrian to visit family.  We take one major trip a year and that has pretty constantly been to Europe where we end up in Rome to visit Camillo only sister.  Along the way, we visit friends in different cities of Brasil and S. America.  Enjoying ourselves immensely, eating and tasting and being entertained.  Yes, if looked at from a distance life is pretty good.  

This week we have been in Salvador Bahia.  Camillo consulting, facilitating and entertaining, and I walking and taking photos and trying to keep myself busy.  (Hum!)  I do enjoy the taking photos part, finding treasures and enjoying new spaces, color and reflections.  And next week will be busy with editing and storing the photos.  Yes, If viewed from a distance Life IS Good.