Getting all the air conditioning I can stand these days
Retirement turned out to be nothing like I thought it was going to be.
And that’s a good thing.
I’ve always sort of been afraid of retiring. When I was in my 30’s, I watched my dad retire from a career that he was quite passionate about. And that seemed to be the end of dad’s passion for life. It was like he just sat in his recliner inside the quality heating and air of his house hour after hour and day after day. That was hard to watch. Dad never did engage with his free time. Instead, he watched way too much TV and indulged in his appetites for food and drink. I’m not judging by any means. It was his life and he chose how to live it. But it really made me worried about what I’d be like when I retired. Dad died not even a decade into retirement. That’s not the way I wanted to go when I finally left the zone controlled HVAC of the office behind for good. Thankfully, my wife and I had a plan. We traded the gas furnace for the heat pump as we moved south to the sun and mild winters. I was amazed how that change sort of reignited our passion for life and the interests we shared. It’s been a great retirement thus far. And I’m now getting acclimated to the different climate. For sure, the heat of these summers can be intense. I’m awfully thankful for the HVAC cooling from our awesome heat pump. Yet, I still get outside each morning and again in the evening. It’s just too beautiful and fun around here to stay inside the air conditioning all the time.