-Retirement - very under rated
-20 books more or less read - my favorite - "Winter Grace" by Kathleen Fischer
-48 Movies - Netflix chick
-Favorite Movie - romance/light - The Jane Austen Book Club
-Favorite Movie - drama based on history - The Great Debaters
-Favorite Television Movies - drama - all BBC Series - Bleak House*, Our Mutual Friend*, The -Barchester Chronicles - 2 out of 3 BBC's are Charles Dickens' work
-Amusing Television Series Rental - the first series of Sex and the City
-Most frequently viewed tv shows - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow - all news shows of some ilk or another
-Entered 4 juried art shows with collage pieces/accepted in 3 of them
-2 blog sites + keeping up with a dozen other "regular favorites"
-Facebook enrollment
-Stood and steered at the helm of a sailboat and smiled
-Took two surfing lessons
-Snorkeled without a life preserver
-Went to an "after Christmas sale" in a NY department store
-Visited the Cloisters in NYC
-Attended a Yoga Spiritual Retreat
-Attended an Episcopal Women's Church Camp Weekend
-Trips a dozen+ some by car, some by plane
-Embraced poetry as a new discipline
-Yoga class devotee
You may have noticed my new blog header about not defining one's worth by "busy".....I've asked myself if this year was all about busy for me and I've answered myself with "no, it was not:)!" Busy for busy's sake to me is wiling away one's time with no pleasure, no personal growth, no challenge. I've reached for all three this year and have plans for 2009 - how 'bout you?
Great list Dianna, I of course was especially thrilled to see the Cloisters, the retreat, and poetry-writing as part of the best of 2008! :-)
ReplyDeleteMr. and I watched both last year -- "The Jane Austen Book Club" and BBC Dickens'"Bleak House" among others!!! And loved them :) As to your TV shows, we might as well live in the same house, te-he...
ReplyDeleteCome and find me on Facebook! I would love to add you as a friend.
love the list and i know it will only be more fantastic in 2009!!! xoxoxo
ReplyDeleteInspiring list! Yes, indeed, retirement is underrated. I am only beginning to understand that. I have always wanted to go to the Cloisters. I am from NYC originally and have not done so yet. Did you go at Christmastime when it is splendidly decorated?
ReplyDeleteAbbey - those 3 events you mentioned from my list have been more meaningful than I ever would have guessed. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteAlbina - I've had a chuckle re the similar tastes in movies and news programming. Will definitely see you on FB - thanks for the invite!
Wow, Lucy, we've got a good "headliner" coming up in January don't we?
Barbara, I am so happy to having you here and commenting and especially glad to hear that you find retirement is underrated as I do. It took me a few months to really let it sink in but now it's a big WOW. After YEARS in NY, I'm embarrassed to say that this Cloister visit was my first - it was lovely. Not an overabundance of decorations - just elegantly and historically placed around the cloister - so beautiful!
BEST TO ALL, Thanks for your comments!
I just began early retirement myself six months ago - am struggling with it a bit - this sounds like a year well lived.
ReplyDeleteDAYM - I would agree that the first few months felt so alien to me too. I mean to go from work, work, work to no real demands on one's time is a jolt or can be. I finally began thinking in terms of how it felt when younger thoughts came to me about retirement - "oh, if I could only be retired, I would do this or that" well, probably the same with you, retirement came faster than I ever thought it could and I just started reaching out or looking for opportunities to expand the parts of me I felt were yearning for release - that involves a bit of risk - maybe even embarrassment, but I highly recommend it. Thank you so much for your comment because it just reconfirms and urges me to go for my word for 2009, which is GROWTH!
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll come back. There's an amazing network of retired persons who have so many valuable things to say on these blogs and also so much youthful vitality from younger persons who are reaching for their own lives NOW.
Happy New Year to you. See you soon, I hope:)