MY RETIREMENT IS NOT WORKING
I worked for forty years at a job I did not particularly enjoy. For forty years I looked forward to retirement and not doing anything. When I took vacations I did nothing. I am just a lazy person.
Now that I am retired, people expect me to do something. “What are you doing?” They ask me. “Aren’t you bored?” They follow up. Some people have even offered suggestions for things to keep me busy. “Have you tried helping at the Hospital? Do you know they are hiring part time at Wal-Mart? The Church is always looking for volunteers.”
Thank you very much, but I enjoy doing nothing. I plan to continue to do nothing. Doing nothing has always been my dream. Doing nothing is what I do. I am not good at many things; I am very good at doing nothing. It has been said that if you can earn a living doing something you love, you will never have to work. I love doing nothing!
Occasionally I play golf, go bowling, read, swim or go to the gym. These are just my diversions from doing nothing. Doing nothing is my primary vocation. I enjoy my vocation thank you very much please don’t offer suggestions for things for me to do. I don’t go to a lawyer and suggest he become a life guard. I don’t suggest to my doctor that he try teaching. I do nothing, I do nothing very well and I love doing nothing.
On a typical day I wake up at 12:30, have breakfast (brunch), think about going to the gym and then watch TV. I am an expert on TV Judge Programs. Judge Judy is my favorite (I plan a future blog on these shows). At five I think about dinner. At six I eat dinner (if I feel like it). Then I watch TV, baseball football or basketball if they are on. At eleven Mrs. Cranky is home from her part time job and we watch more TV, maybe spend some couples time and then watch more TV. I might turn in at 3:00AM if there are no more good shows or movies. During TV time I am on the computer reading stuff or playing poker. I spend maybe an hour and a half on my blog.
Recently I received an email from my once a year fishing buddy, Catfish. Catfish retired this year after forty some years of a high stress government job. The Catfish had made a list of his top 100 popular songs from the sixties to today. He was interested in opinions of his list so he emailed it to a number of people. He received many responses suggesting songs he left out or songs he should not have included. Along with each suggestion he was also admonished with “You must have way too much time.”
I say to Catfish; NO! You do not have way too much time, you finally have THE time to do stuff you always wanted to do. Embrace it. Enjoy it. You have earned it.
Incidentally Catfish’s list has created quite a stir of comments, apparently by people who have way too much time.
Here is The Catfish’s list. Make a comment if you have the time:
1. AC/DC Hell’s Bells
2. AC/DC Thunderstruck
3. Aerosmith Rag Doll
4. Aerosmith Walk This Way
5. Bad Company Feel Like Making Love
6. Bad Company Bad Company
7. Bill Haley and his Comets Rock Around the Clock
8. Billy Idol White Wedding
9. Billy Joel It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me
10. Black Sabboth Iron Man
11. Blondie Heart of Glass
12. Bob Dylan Like a Rolling Stone
13. Bob Dylan Subterranean Homesick Blues
14. Bob Seger Old Time Rock and Roll
15. Bon Jovi Wanted Dead or Alive
16. Bruce Springsteen Born in the USA
17. Bruce Springsteen Thunder Road
18. Buddy Holly Peggy Sue
19. Buddy Knox Party Doll
20. Carl Perkins Blue Suede Shoes
21. Chuck Berry Roll Over Beethoven
22. Chuck Berry Johnny Be Good
23. Creedence Clearwater Revival Born on the Bayou
24. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young Woodstock
25. Deep Purple Smoke on the Water
26. Def Leppard Rock of Ages
27. Del Shannon Runaway
28. Derek and the Dominos Layla
29. Eagles Life in the Fast Lane
30. Elvis Presley Jailhouse Rock
31. Elvis Presley Hound Dog
32. Eric Clapton Lay Down Sally
33. George Thorogood and the Destroyers Bad to the Bone
34. Guns N’Roses Sweet Child of Mine
35. Heart Barracuda
36. James Brown I got You (I Feel Good)
37. Janis Joplin Me and Bobby McGee
38. Janis Joplin Piece of My Heart
39. Jefferson Airplane Somebody to Love
40. Jerry Lee Lewis Whole Lotta Shaken’ Going On
41. Jerry Lee Lewis Great Balls of Fire
42. Jimi Hendrix Purple Haze
43. Jimi Hendrix Foxy Lady
44. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll
45. Led Zeppelin Stairway to Heaven
46. Led Zeppelin Whole Lotta Love
47. Little Richard Lucille
48. Little Richard Good Golly Miss Molly
49. Lynrd Skynyrd Freebird
50. Marvin Gaye I Heard It On the Grapevine
51. Metallica Enter Sandman
52. Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels Devil with a Blue Dress On
53. Neil Diamond Cherry Cherry
54. Neil Young Rockin’ In the Free World
55. Norman Greenbaum Spirit in the Sky
56. Pat Benatar Hit Me With Your Best Shot
57. Pink Floyd Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)
58. Prince Purple Rain
59. Queen We Will Rock You
60. Queen Bohemian Rhapsody
61. Queen Fat Bottom Girls
62. Righteous Brothers Unchained Melody
63. Rod Stewart Hot Legs
64. Rod Stewart Maggie May
65. Roy Orbison Oh, Pretty Woman
66. Santana Black Magic Woman
67. Sly and the Family Stone Dance to the Music
68. Steppenwolf Born to be Wild
69. The Allman Brothers Band Ramblin Man
70. The Animals House of the Rising Sun
71. The Beach Boys Help Me Rhonda
72. The Beach Boys Little Deuce Coup
73. The Beatles Hey Jude
74. The Beatles Revolution
75. The Beatles Hard Day’s Night
76. The Beatles Twist and Shout
77. The Byrds Mr. Tambourine Man
78. The Del –Vikings Come and Go With Me
79. The Doobie Brothers Black Water
80. The Doors Roadhouse Blues
81. The Doors Light My Fire
82. The Everly Brothers Bye Bye Love
83. The Hollies Long Cool Woman (in a Black Dress)
84. The Isley Brothers Shout
85. The Kingsmen Louie Louie
86. The Kinks Lola
87. The Rolling Stones I Can’t Get No Satisfaction
88. The Rolling Stones Brown Sugar
89. The Rolling Stones Sympathy for the Devil
90. The Troggs Wild Thing
91. The Who Won’t Get Fooled Again
92. The Who Pinball Wizard
93. Tina Turner Proud Mary
94. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Last Dance with Mary Jane
95. U2 With or Without You
96. Van Morrison Brown Eyed Girl
97. Wilson Pickett Mustang Sally
98. Wilson Pickett In the Midnight Hour
99. ZZ Top Sharp Dressed Man
100. ZZ Top Legs
Since the “Catfish 100” received so much interest I am adding the Cranky Top Ten Movies in no particular order:
Godfather
Jaws
Inherit the Wind (S. Tracy)
My Cousin Vinnie
The Green Mile
King Kong (Fay Ray)
Cool Hand Luke
Deep Throat (the uncut version)
The Jerk
Brian’s Song
Respond if you have nothing better to do with your time.
I look forward to doing the same thing in the future. And I too shall ignore those who thoughtfully offer me things to do. I have no intelligent comment to add about the list other than that the movie Jaws scared the bejesus out of me.
ReplyDeleteRight now, I feel like I'm the opposite - I have far too much to do, when I'm supposed to be relaxing and doing nothing! I get so stressed. And yeah - "The Green Mile" is a great film :D Think I might be a bit too young to comment on the songs.
ReplyDeleteOK you had me nodding away until I saw "My Cousin Vinnie", Please explain?
ReplyDeleteWell, my gramps pre-occupied himself by making a bucket list. Maybe you need a little more than the usual adventure in your life. These are your golden years, and you ought to spend them like you mean it.
ReplyDeleteWell, I commend you for sticking with your decision to just be laid back in your retirement days. But wouldn’t it be nicer if you put a little thrill in your twilight years? I agree with Andrew, the fact that his grandpa is doing his bucket list will definitely help him make the most out of those years. Well, you have to at least enjoy and have fun. But if doing nothing is your happiness – you know, chilling, relaxing, and other “doing nothing” stuff – then I’m with you man!
ReplyDelete