What I Should Do

Do you know what I'm tired of?

I am tired of should and need to. I should take the dogs for a walk. I need to pick up a prescription. I need to fix my vacuum cleaner.

I have been retired for a bit more than 13 years. I no longer have to go to work, and I can avoid most appointments. But there still are far too many shoulds and need tos.

I suppose it's inevitable that as long as I live in a house and as long as I am responsible for two dogs, there will be a lot of things that I should and need to do.

This does not, however, mean that I don't dread these things. I love looking at my calendar and seeing nothing but empty spaces for each day of the week or month. 

It seems that there is always a medical appointment on my calendar. But what I should do is to look at those appointment reminders with gratitude. I am fortunate that I have affordable access to a slate of physicians skilled in the treatment of the medical issues that crop up with increasing frequency as I age. That is what I should do.

I should be more grateful for my house that protects me from summer heat and winter cold, rather than focusing on the ever-present need to repair or replace something.

I should appreciate the fact that I have a pantry filled with food, rather than moaning about how much everything costs.

I should focus on the love my dogs bring me, or their unbridled joy whenever I return home whether I was gone for 20 minutes or 3 hours, rather than on the need to refill the water bowl or pick up their poop in the yard.

Although I don't make resolutions for the new year, I will strive to remember the good things rather than the things I should or need to do.