The Expiration Date

I retired from NASA 11 years ago yesterday.

I enjoyed my career, but there were many more things I wanted to do during my lifetime. When I retired, my daughter and I moved from northern California to central New Mexico. I nearly doubled the size of my house, and I more than doubled the size of the lot on which my house sits. I went from living in a very crowded and noisy urban area, to living in a quiet area with dirt roads and beautiful views of the mountains.

Once my daughter moved out, I started to once again pursue my passion of photography and travel. I have visited many wonderful places both in the US and overseas. I have traveled to Africa 11 times, and to Costa Rica and Ireland twice. I finally got to visit Egypt, a place I have wanted to visit for decades.

I have also done a bit of introspection. I do try to look on the bright side of things, and to appreciate the simple things in life. I practice gratitude, particularly in the face of the terrible pandemic we have gone through. I love not having a schedule most days. Generally speaking, there is nowhere I need to be at any specific time. That doesn’t mean I don’t usually have a long list of things I want to accomplish, but I can take care of them on my own schedule. One of my favorite things to do is to take a nap. I’ve never been a good sleeper, and taking a nap in the early afternoon is something to which I really look forward.

Since the pandemic hit, and so many minimum wage workers have either become unemployed or seen their hours cut, I am much more generous with my tips. Recently I spent one night at a hotel in El Paso, Texas. I realized when getting ready to check out that I had no small bills for a tip for the housekeeper. So I left her a $20 tip. I hope it brightened her day.

I am really enjoying the calmness and sanity that have returned to our country with the new administration, and I do my best to avoid politics. That has been a big help toward improving my state of mind. 

I’ve never been a patient person, and my new puppy certainly tests my patience at times. But I am working on improving my degree of patience and tolerance. I also love the way she looks up at me with her adoring eyes. And her antics make me laugh.

Now all of these things didn’t necessarily happen because I retired, although retirement certainly made many of them possible. The other big catalyst for change is the progression of time. I realize that I have more of my life behind me than ahead of me. So I want to take advantage of whatever time I have left. I want to spend my time peacefully, doing the things I love. And, I hope, making the world just a little bit better.

Most of us are not independently wealthy, which means that most of us must work to support ourselves and our families. Doing the things that motivate and inspire us, and that make us happiest, usually take a backseat to earning a living. But if we are lucky enough to retire and are in good health so we can enjoy our retirement, should we not ask ourselves how we want to spend the time we have left?

My wish list is yards long. There are so many places I still want to visit. There are so many places I want to photograph. I want to improve my skill in editing my photographs. And there are many things yet to learn. So I will continue to travel. To enter photography contests. To learn new things.

Each of us – – regardless of our current age, our gender, race, or social or economic status – – is born with an expiration date. None of us will live forever. The days are numbered for each and every one of us.

So take your dreams off the back burner. Start working on the items on your wish list. Forgive someone who has wronged you. Work on being your most authentic self. Be kind. Let the little stuff go. Nearly everybody puts on weight as they age. While it’s important to be healthy and to try to maintain a healthy weight, don’t  let worry about your weight or physical appearance destroy your happiness. Spend time with those you care about.

‘ The future is guaranteed to no one. Someday’ will be here before you know it.