#45 Retirement Syndrome

Since retiring in December I've discovered many things that might be typical for retirees in general.

I developed a pretty painful pinched nerve in my neck which causes my arm to go numb in the night. It hurts when I don't sleep on it and it hurts when I do.

A couple of weeks ago I was in such pain that all I could think of was this mound of pain on my shoulder and neck. I decided to throw all available resources at it.

So in the last 3 weeks I have had two massages, visited the chiropractor regularly, had regular acupuncture, endured physical therapy and had reflexology. I see progress and am sometimes pain-free, but it's still a big issue.

Turns out I have a bulging disk at the the base of my neck, possibly from looking at the iPad too much. "Tech Neck" afflicts many retirees who suddenly have lots of time to spend looking at their iPads.

Another discovery is the problem of so many projects to achieve.

There is a long list of projects that have been waiting for me to have the time to tackle them. Front gardens. Long-ignored closets. And that funny room that used to be an upstairs foyer -- filled with the detritus of daily living. The idyllic white picket fence I've longed for since buying the house.

This is an image from a Netflix movie I was watching recently. I was able to rewind and "capture screen" at just the right moment to get this image. It's exactly the gateway I've dreamed of for our picket fence. We'll scale it way down, of course, to match the scale of our little house, but I love the elements: the moldings, the plate at top, the crown and the balls. After many discussions on what style picket we like best, I think I like this simple one. Bonus: It's got to be cheaper than 1x4's.

I realized a day or two ago that I cannot succeed at these projects if I try to complete them all now.

So I'm working hard on the offbeat room -- which will be an addition to my office so physical changes will be deductible -- while waiting for pretty weather. When it's nice out my plan is to spend a couple of hours a day on the garden as I finish the room. When the room is done, the garden becomes the #1 item and a closet will become the #2-- and so on.

So I'm not an expert by any means but this is my way to approach it and I'm sticking to it -- until I find a better way.

#LoveMyLife