Resting

It has warmed up today. The high is expected to be 30 today. At 11:30 am it is 26 degrees out. It is mostly cloudy out. The next eight days it is expected to be in the mid to high 30’s all week. I can put away my boots and winter coat! At least for a week…

Yesterday, one of my cousins on my mother’s side of the family died. Gary Lee turned 59 years old this past November. He is the son of Gary and Joan (stepson). Gary Lee had been ill for fourteen years and his health deteriorated further in December and January. He spent five days in hospice and passed peacefully with his family at his bedside yesterday afternoon. My heart is heavy for the family. Gary Lee was a great father and grandfather. Rest in Peace, Gary Lee.

Joe and I had a restful weekend, getting all the chores we wanted to accomplish done and giving ourselves time to relax and spend time together. We are keeping our eye on the housing market. A big influx of homes came on the market two weeks ago. Nothing I really love though. My friend Jen tells me the market usually picks up after the Super Bowl on the East Coast. Hoping that holds true for the Midwest as well.

Today is normally thrift store volunteering day; however, I woke up with a headache after experiencing body aches all day yesterday. I decided to stay at home today and rest up. In my pre-retirement days, I went to work unless I had a fever. When I was even younger and years before COVID-19, I would go to work even with a fever. Growing up, the only sick that kept us home from school was anything that kept us in the bathroom. Fevers, aches, headaches, sneezing, and coughing were okay at school.

So even now, I feel discomfort at my decision to stay home and rest. My mind understands that sorting clothes for other people to buy at some point in the future is not a priority. Still when an idea has been ingrained into your brain since age five it takes time to overcome the guilt associated with “breaking the rule.”

Instead of volunteering today, I am opting to take care of me by getting my physical activities accomplished and eating healthy food. Cause now that I am retired it is all about me. I do not need to take care of the world. Just me. And well Joe. Joe would point out that he does not need taken care of which would be true. He appreciates that I manage the ‘business’ part of our lives. Business includes finances, appointments, scheduling, and forms of any kind.

I am off now to do more physical activity so I can get to my goal of reading for fun this afternoon.