I have been retired for a little over a year now. I always wondered what it would be like to be retired as retirement was for old people. Thirteen months into the “next” stage of my life finds me busy and exploring things that I never had time for in the past. The days of trying to “win” at everything have been replaced by much more interesting challenges.

Marriage:

After all these years, I find myself listening to my wife… I mean really listening. She is truly an awesome person. I always knew it, but I never took the time to fully explore or appreciate the many layers. I’m amazed that she has had the patience to deal with only having part of me for all those years. We men are not dumb, but it seems that most of us, myself included, never give ourselves the opportunity to look at things from a more gentle and loving perspective. I hope I can impart this new found wisdom to my sons.

Family:

I have dedicated almost my entire adult life to work and to my family. My two sons are both away at college now and are well on their way to creating their own lives. They have always been my best friends and I miss them. They are good people and I’m so proud of them.

The sacrifices that we as parents make for our children are impossible for our kids to understand until they are faced with being parents themselves. My step daughter has just become a new mother and I can see the love in her eyes for her new child. It gives me confidence that the world is in good hands despite all the chaos that surrounds us each day in the news.

Friends:

I have used the excuse of dedicating all my time to work and family for many years as the reason why I have let my friendships slip. In hindsight, it seems that I just couldn’t be bothered to make the effort. The oversight has definitely been my loss.

The timing of my retirement and my boys going off to college left a big void in my life. At first, I filled the void with my passion for spreading the word about the benefits of healthy water on this blog. As time progressed, I focused on my diet (with the not-so-gentle assistance of my wife) and on exercise. The changes have left me feeling the best that I have felt in many years. The news gets better… I have had the incredibly good fortune of meeting new friends through my workouts at the gym. Allowing myself to reach out to others has brought the rewards of friendship that I had thought were lost forever. The simple act of reaching out, which seemed impossible in the past, was so easy.

Business Associates:

Despite being retired, I find myself involved in all types of relationships that tie into business. The fact that I research and write about water means that I’m in contact with all kinds of business people in the industry. When it comes to the water industry, it seems that there are two distinct groups of people. One group is in the business for the money and there is nothing wrong with that as everyone has to provide for their families. The other group, the ones that I find myself drawn to, consist of people that find their ultimate reward is in helping others through educating them about all of the benefits of drinking good water. These people find themselves enjoying life more than ever as they are receiving the gift of giving, which is truly the greatest gift of all.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers. In fact, the more I learn, the more I realize that I really don’t know much at all. The good news is that the journey just seems to be getting better and better.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author are are definitely not meant as advice to anyone.