The first question everyone asks me....

"So, how do you like retirement?"

I answer "fine", and they answer "good".

But, retirement is a bit of a mixed bag.

I love that I have used an alarm clock 2 times in the last 3 months. (reality is I never used one before, but only because I was always awake by 0530.  If I woke up at 0530 now, I'd have some very long and boring days)
My house is cleaner.
My yard was mowed more often this August and September.  I am boycotting mowing in October--it seems morally wrong although the grass is starting to look a little shaggy.
I've cooked more...and cooked more desserts---crockpot tapioca is amazingly easy and tasty.  My jeans are not going to thank me unless I stay active.
I've spent 3 days putting old paneling on the walls of an old storage building and then spent another 3 days moving stuff out of the garage into the storage building----somehow I still have about 2 weeks work left on the garage.
I've painted 3 buffalo sketches and almost finished a giant buffalo painting.
I've painted 1 crow painting and started 2 more.
I've made the pages of a calendar to have printed up--might turn into next year's calendar as there have been some family glitches.
I've cleaned on flowerbeds, "on" because they still look like crap, I'm not fond of digging in mud and it has been both overcast, wet, mosquito-y (I'm on my sixth can of OFF).  I remember, as a kid, my sister and I cleaning a room, and hearing that it looks like we "cleaned at it".  That is the kind of "on"  I am referring to.
I've poured 3 skulls--a giant mold that likes to cause me to dump slip all over the place. I'm fairly sure I need to make some mold pouring racks or tools or something.

And through all that, every day, a part of my brain thinks---this is the end, this is your last part of life, this is you riding off into the sunset.
A headhunter contacts me and I don't respond--I'm retired.
I see a travel coupon and throw it out, I know how much money I have and how long it needs to last---potentially.
Someone tries to sell me a car---but I probably have my last car right now.
I go to a furniture store and wonder why I would ever need new furniture.

BUT!!!!
I am not depressed.
I am not even sad.
If working in a Chemical Dependency Unit taught me anything, it is that "one day at a time" is good for us all.

They also taught me that "fine" was an acronym.

The sun has come out, time to work on the garage.