Fresh Mowed Lawn

 In retirement I have many weekly tasks that I enjoy. I enjoy cleaning and maintaining our pool. I enjoy yardwork up until about 88 degrees then I get real tired of it during the summer months. I enjoy blogging and reading blogs. I enjoy simple home maintenance work. And, of course, I enjoy my metal detecting hobby. All provide a sense of satisfaction at the finish. A sparkling clean pool always looks great and gives me a sense of accomplishment. A completed project or task always feels good. One of the things that I really like is the sight of my freshly mowed lawn. It looks great after it is mowed and trimmed with no wisps of grass growing into the edge of the curb or sidewalk. Unfortunately it is short lived. The lawn changes so much with one day of growth. I don't enjoy that fresh mowed lawn so much that I want to mow it every two days, that is just too much work. About 30 years ago I had a neighbor who was a retired military man and I swear he mowed his yard every two days. It would drive his close neighbors crazy because every other day he was out there at 6:30 in the morning mowing and trimming that yard. It looked amazing! But, he obsessed a little too much. 

This past weekend I repainted a storage shed in the backyard. The old paint was getting a chalky look to it and it needed freshened up. After it was done, I sat back and got that satisfied feeling of a job well done. The shed looks great and should be good to go for the next few years. I get the same satisfaction from trimming my shrubs or washing and cleaning my car. These are simple task but always leave me feeling good about what I have accomplished. 

What task do you do in retirement that give you a good sense of satisfaction? Is it the completion of a project? Finishing a quilt or other long term project? Something simple? Is there something that you take to the extreme, like the man above?