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Friday, August 17, 2012

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?)

DSC_2219Life 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.  DSC_2221Lets 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 DSC_2228favorite 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.

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10 comments:

  1. Ginger, I love all of your photos but the text was so small I was having a hard time reading what you wrote.

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    1. Jarielyne, I used Camillo's computer this week and the print I was seeing was so big I made it smaller on Live writer.... he had text at 125% - anyway I hope it is better now.
      hugs...

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    2. Yes, I came back and re-read what you wrote. Very interesting and I would say that yes, your life is pretty good from a distance. I don't do much either. I spend way too much time on facebook and playing games on the computer.

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  2. I love seeing all your photos and it pretty much the same thing for me too, except I spend weekends volunteering with a self-help organisation and residents committee.

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  3. Oh Ginger, you sound like a retired book-keeper keeping track of time! I would be too ashamed to do that! I could very quickly tell you what I've done since I got out of bed 10.5 hours ago. I've done one load of washing, made an (uncooked) lunch and a couple of cups of coffee, and read goodness knows how many pages of an interesting book. I haven't spoken a word out loud all day (except for the occasional mutter to myself). I will have a quick walk in a minute and consider this a good day!!
    I hope you current life continues - just keep showing us those great photos!

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    1. I was hoping that by making a list I would remember something wonderful that I do.... I forgot reading... at least two books a week. Am going back through books I read over the past ten years and re-reading.... some I don't remember at all -

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  4. This topic has been great in getting to know my fellow FSO bloggers but we are short a few this week. You will notice in my post I only mention my time at the Visitor's Center. I spend most of my day on art projects and making my families Christmas gifts from now to Dec. 24th. Beautiful photos Ginger
    QMM

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  5. Your e-mail was sent back to me so thank you I would for you to take the next few weeks to do the spotlights. I have taken a PRN job with a private duty company and have no regular schedule so far. Blessings dear sista
    Peggy

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    1. Peggy, okay two weeks. I am emailing you an alternative address - for some reason the Brazilian email is disliked in the USA

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  6. Sounds like a full menu to me.

    In retirement, I often feel like I've accomplished nothing, but, like you, I'm always busy ---and time zips by. I spend most of my time (when not doing necessities like sleeping or grocery shopping) walking, reading, taking photos, and at the computer. At the computer I write, edit photos, create art work, transfer audio books to my ipod. I take free (to seniors) credited classes at the community college. This semester I'm taking Intro to Fiction, which for me is really Continuation to Fiction since I read so much. On the first day, the prof asked us to write down the last three books we had read. Several students said they NEVER read. (It's an elective. Why did they take the class?) I've joined a bunch of Meetup groups, so if I wanted, I could attend an event almost every evening or weekend day, but I go to about 3 a month, total. I've been making ATCs (2.5" X 3.5" Artist Trading Cards to trade with other artists) ---which for me is fun. They are almost like miniature experiments that I might turn into larger works of art some time. I started making them when I worked overnight in customer service to fight boredom because there were times when no phone calls came in. But I have no idea where those are. So I started to make new ones and have made about 350 in the past 6 months. So I keep busy, and whoops, there went another day, week, month, year........

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