Some of you may have noticed my blog was offline for several days. I was experiencing technical difficulties, and while the site was down, I decided to go with it. Just cut the cord and move on.
With my new-found freedom, I made an effort to be more sociable. Livin’ in the real world! I stayed after golf to chat with the other women and made noticeable progress in the category of interpersonal communication. Yeah, that was me, talking it up with the ladies.
For example, one woman was raving about a taco place, and I did not mention that I had just read a county health report on the restaurant, a report that included dead rats, insects and creature poop. No one needs taco trauma.
Another woman said she loved breakfast cereal and often ate it for dinner. Did I alert her to acrylamides or ultraprocessed foods or the fact that I haven’t eaten breakfast cereal in something like 15 years? Oh, no, I did not. Let’s talk breakfast cereal! It’s grrrrrrreat!
Then I tried to talk with my husband about volunteering and the things that are holding me back. You know, the stuff we talk about here.
I said office work might be too confining, but outdoor opportunities might be too much. I recalled my efforts to pick up litter in the neighborhood, and squeezing the trash picker upper messed up my wrists.
He said, oh, yes, I remember that, another one of your fads. That was what we call unwelcome feedback.
Dale’s fine, thanks for asking. It was probably the pizza coming out of the oven that saved him. Time stops for pizza, so he got a pass on that one. I did manage to say that at least I try things. He agreed to call them experiments in the future.
So much for real life. Let’s get back to experiments. That’s what this blog is. An experiment with writing, sharing stories. Experiencing retirement. Connecting with an online community.
Thank you for being part of the journey. As I putzed around while the site was down, I realized this community is small but mighty. We’re not changing the world, but what we do here means something. And it means I didn’t exit the way I had hoped.
While I have boatloads of faults, one of my positive characteristics as a human is that I always try to do the right thing. Leaving everyone hanging did not feel right. After much deliberation and a small fee I chalked up to a relatively inexpensive life lesson, I was able to get the site restored.
Now that it’s up and running, I’ve sort of talked myself into continuing (I never said I was normal). The only downside is self-doubt. The effort to overcome self-doubt is probably worth the price of admission.
My account expires in November, so I’ve got until then to get my shit together. If I decide to quit, I promise to let you know in advance. None of this sneaky snake stuff.
In the meantime, I urge you to subscribe to BoomSpeak, a great online journal where aging writers (including me) share their thoughts and stories. With any luck, that’s where I’ll be if you can’t find me here.
Donna,
I so enjoy your posts and shame on me for not commenting more often! If you ever quite here you could have a future in stand up comedy! I die laughing at some of your posts! “Unwelcome Feedback” indeed :)!!
Thanks for taking the time and effort!!
And that was putting it nicely!! I do find things funnier if I write about them, so it could be a marriage-saver.
Is your blog WordPress?
I ‘ve never had that happen so I wonder if it’s your platform.
It sounds like you had fun socializing. That’s way more than I do…
Oh, I made a mess of it all. I wish I could blame the platform.
I understand! When the time is right to let go of retirement confidential you will know. I’ll miss your postings. Will watch for you on boomspeak. Thank you for all the smiles and chuckles you have given me over the years. Suzanne 🇨🇦
I don’t know why I make this so hard, but I’m thinking I’ll be around longer.
So glad to have you back…
Thank you!
I could never hold back on the taco place vermin or the dangers of breakfast cereal. Good on you
It was tough. That mouth of mine doesn’t always cooperate.
That taco place sounded, uh, less than ideal for sure lol. But breakfast cereal? I have to go with the stance that they’re “magically delicious.” Meanwhile – maybe Meals on Wheels in your area could use volunteers. No wrist injuring, but you may need an oven mitt..
You had me at Lucky Charms. God, I loved those. But they’re dead to me now.
My husband also recommended Meals on Wheels. I’m adding them to the list.
Posts like this are reasons that you can’t quit your blog. I did notice that I wasn’t able to comment on a past post so maybe that’s when you were having troubles. It’s frustrating when stuff happens, and you have no idea how to fix it. I will check out BoomSpeak, thanks for the tip!
Technology is tough. I used to think I was pretty savvy, but that time is gone.
Hi Donna, glad you’re back! Don’t you just love being social but having to be politically correct? You did good not giving your comments about taco vermin and dry cereal. Haha.
I am very interested in everyone’s thoughts about volunteering. Please let us know what you decide. In my past life, I volunteered while kids were young. Since retirement from my career, I am so picky about my time and commitments. I just haven’t landed on the right thing to donate time to. Please keep us posted. Btw, I am one of those who highly recommends reading the short little book, “On Tyranny”.
Indded — I am also picky about my time and commitments. We will be continuing this discussion. How to find the right thing, share goodness with the world and not mess up an otherwise lovely retirement. Shouldn’t be all that difficult.
I for one, hope you will continue. As a woman of ‘a certain age’, who is too lazy, or tech challenged ( or both) to blog like you do, I do enjoy reading and relating to your messages.
Thank you. I’m also tech-challenged, but I can still crank out a post now and again!
I was pretty bummed when I thought you’d quit writing. So glad it was just a tech issue. I vote for you renewing your account past November!
When (if) you decide to volunteer, I will be very interested to find out where you land. Up until about 5 years ago, I volunteered for our humane society weekly for 20+ years, but things changed, and I gave it up. I’d love to read to kids or help them with their reading, but I worry about getting sick. So I pick up leftover produce from our farmer’s market and deliver it to a preschool food pantry once a week. Keeps my hand in the volunteer world and lifting boxes of produce can be a good addition to my normal workouts.
Thanks for the vote of support!
I worry about getting sick, too. So, there’s that. But I’m not giving up yet, and I will continue to share how it’s all shaking out.
Please don’t quit! I missed you and find your subjects and humor fill a need in my life. Several of my favorite blogs went belly-up recently and I don’t think I can take losing yours too! (I know this sounds overly dramatic, but real life is hard to take sometimes and I need an escape so thanks for giving me one.)
Thank you so much. I guess it doesn’t surprise me that people quit blogging — it’s kind of a strange thing to do when you think about it. This little interruption has helped me understand how blogging fits into my life. Escapism is part of it for me, too.
I personally like to experiment with things. I also call it “trying it on”. Not every experiment works (I was a scientist, this is a fact), and not everything fits. I’m glad Dale was able to understand the importance of experimentation – marital peace if nothing else!
I admit, it was not an easy sell. But in all fairness, he has seen me “experiement” with some pretty whacky things over the years.
Hi Donna! Thank goodness you are back.. I had all kinds of crazy thoughts about what happened. I too am trying to figure out some volunteer opportunities. I was considering hospice but then my husband looked at me like I had two heads. As a two time cancer survivor I should probably look elsewhere. I considered Meals on Wheels or maybe the local food pantry. I will continue exploring. Anyway, I am so thrilled you are back!