Three years ago I retired. And the first thing friends and coworkers asked me was “what are you going to do now?” The concept of retirement was a bit abstract at the time, I wasn’t sure then that I needed to plan to do anything. But after working nearly 50 years in the graphic arts/art production world, I felt the need to be productive and at least not waste all the hours in the day.
The last 15 years of my career I spent serving as the Communications Director at Immanuel Bible Church. It was a challenging and very rewarding position. But like many full time positions, it didn’t allow me time to pursue other interests. So now I am out working in my garden trying to grow things (without the deer eating everything), learning to cook some of my wife’s favorite Puerto Rican foods, and photographing and writing about retired life in the suburbs.
We’ve recently moved in an effort to downsize, coming back to an area that has grown immeasurably the past thirty years. There is a lot to explore out here, from wineries and breweries, to new restaurants and pop-up stores, to fields of flowers and lavender farms. A little more free time in the day has given me an opportunity to be a bit more self-reflective. I’ve taken up painting again after many years, trying to see if that college degree in fine arts was worth the investment.
I’m finding a lot of things to keep a retired guy active. Follow along with me on this new journey!
More to browse? Check out my photo gallery on www.fineartamerica.com
My Retired Life 