Chasing Sardines

 

I saw this in a daily devotion from 2014.

Some years ago, three hundred whales were found marooned on a beach. Scientists speculated that the whales had been chasing sardines and became trapped in shallow water when the tide went out. Now, that’s an amazing thing. By chasing little sardines, these gigantic creatures were ultimately led to their doom.

This can be applied to each of our lives. Throughout our working years we often chase the sardines of a pay raise, promotion, and awards. We can chase the sardines in other areas such as sports trophies and awards at the adult softball league or something similar. We can chase sardines in almost any areas of our lives and not paying attention to the bigger picture. Most of the time our pursuit of the sardines is for our own ego or to impress people whose opinion really doesn't matter in the long term. The ones that matter are our friends and family. They are the ones that surround us long after the working life or softball career are long over.

I got caught up a little in my career of chasing the promotion sardines. I took on extra tasks and responsibilities to prove that I was ready for the next level. I moved my family a few times in pursuit of the sardines. The move for my first promotion was from Ft Worth to Oklahoma City and still not too far from family and didn't affect us too much. The second move was to St. Louis and put us at least a 9 hour drive from family. This move was the one that made me realize that I was chasing sardines. I enjoyed the job, but the stress of being that far away from the things that were important to us was too much. When I looked ahead at where the sardines would be next, the next promotion would have more than likely taken me even further away and demanded more of my time. My wife and I made the decision to backtrack a little and we were lucky that I was able to move back to Oklahoma City where I spent the rest of my career and now we are enjoying our grown kids and granddaughter in retirement. The move back was tough on the ego but quickly became one of the best career decisions in the end. I wound up getting promoted again and had a very fulfilling career on that track.

Looking back, if I had continued to chase the promotional sardines, I would have likely ended up in a high cost area that would have eaten up most of the pay raise and I would have put my family in another new place with no friends or family to rely on. I would have added a few dollars to my monthly pension, but certainly not enough to make up for the hassle of moving across country and stressing us all out.

Sometimes we all need to chase sardines so that we can eat, much like the whales above. We just need to make sure we are aware of the surroundings as we do so. As long as it is in the deeper water, with a real purpose and without danger to ourselves or others. The problem comes when we focus so much on the sardines that we don't realize what is going on around us and all of sudden we find ourselves trapped and in trouble.

When I think about things that people focus on to the detriment of other people or things, many come to mind. Some people will sacrifice everything to be the best. People will hurt others to climb the corporate ladder. People will sacrifice everything to be the best gymnast, best golfer, best basketball player, etc. I'm all for being great at something, but sometimes it has it's toll. Simone Biles recently had emotional issues and she is a gold medal gymnast. Another gold medal winner, Michael Phelps, has spoken about the emotional toll he has faced. Both are good examples of chasing sardines but paying a price. They worked and sacrificed for years to get a gold medal and now are both probably thinking about the things they missed when they were practicing 8 hours a day, 7 days a week.

There is nothing wrong to being committed to something or being committed to getting better at something. Balance is the key. 

Have you chased sardines to the point it got you into shallow water? What was your mindset at the time vs what it is now? Do you think we chase fewer sardines as we get older and wiser?

101 New Things Update for September

 It's time for a quick update on my quest to do 101 new things this year. As of the last update, in May,  I was up to 42 things. I have not added a lot since then but here are the new additions:

43.  Pompeii exhibit at the Houston Museum
44. Shop The Strand in Galveston, TX
45. Crave Cupcakes in Houston (out of this world good!)
46. Click's Steakhouse in Pawnee, OK (best steak I have ever had!)
47. Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum- Pawnee, OK
48. Black Rifle Coffee Company
49. Dance on cruise ship in front of a crowd in a contest
50. Visit Merida Mexico
51. Visit Houston Space Center NASA
52. Pulled medical drain out of my wife 
53. Grew a beard 

The Pompeii exhibit was awesome and I highly recommend it if it comes to your city. It was amazing to see items that were recovered buried under the ash a long, long time ago. The story was fascinating and made me add a visit to Pompeii to my bucket list.

The Pawnee Bill Ranch and Museum was a nice little gem located in north Oklahoma. Pawnee Bill ran a Wild West Show and even partnered with Buffalo Bill for awhile. Very interesting place to visit.

The "Grew a beard" was just done on a whim as I have never gone more than 2-3 days without shaving for my entire 56 years. I did have a mustache in the late 80's and early 90's but that was it. I never had a beard. I'm not a fan of this scruffy gray beard of mine and it came off at the 3 week mark. But hey, it's a new thing that I have never done!

My quest will continue, although it is looking like I won't make 101 unless I get really busy the next few months. It is still fun looking for something new and interesting to make the list. We are off to Houston for months of treatment for my wife and I plan on doing a few things down there such as visit the Battleship Texas that was recently refurbished. I'm sure I can find a few more new things in that area. And......I still have that can of sardines in the pantry I could pack for the trip!

Any of you out there tried something new and interesting lately?

Bucket List

The movie The Bucket List was a great one. It is described on Google as this:  

Corporate billionaire Edward Cole and working class mechanic Carter Chambers have nothing in common except for their terminal illnesses. While sharing a hospital room together, they decide to leave it and do all the things they have ever wanted to do before they die according to their bucket list. In the process, both of them heal each other, become unlikely friends, and ultimately find joy in life.

It was an awesome movie with a great message to get out there and enjoy life. I have a list of places I'd like to visit and things I'd like to do. I guess you can call it a Bucket List, but there is nothing on it that I absolutely must see in this lifetime. It is more of I'd Like to See These Things If I Can list. It has the typical places like The Great Wall of China, Venice, Machu Picchu, etc. There are a couple things that might not be on the everyday common bucket list, such as Pompeii and the Terra Cota soldiers in China. So many bucket list places can be seen pretty well on the internet these days, although everything is better in person. The experience of doing is a lot better than seeing on a screen for sure. 

Some bucket lists contain things like skydiving, bungee jumping, climbing all the fourteeners, etc. My list definitely does not include risking death to climb Mt. Everest. In retirement, my list is more of a sightseeing tour! 

One thing I'd like to see in the near future may not be on a lot of bucket lists. I'd love to go see a rocket launch in person. I think the sights, sounds and feel of a launch would be awesome. With the current commercial space industry taking off, there are more launches now than I can ever remember. When you research upcoming launches, the list usually contains at least one a month, if not several a month. 

I think a bucket list helps one have a goal to shoot for and something to look forward to. I have read that just planning a trip makes a person feel good and that the anticipation of taking the trip keeps us excited and happy. You can experience this joy in your local city or state, you don't have to travel across the world to get that great feeling. With my quest to do 101 new things this year, I have found great joy in doing many little things. Doing small new things is like taking a mini vacation. You get a quick energy boost and a quick happiness boost for enjoying a small experience.

Do you have any unique places to see or things to do on your bucket list? Some thing that is out of ordinary and not your typical "See the Eiffel Tower"? Everyone probably wants to see the Pyramids or ride in a gondola in Venice, but does everyone want to see a rocket launch? Comment with your unique items and maybe I will get to add a few new items to my own list!

Charity Work and Volunteering

Before I retired 2+ years ago I read many articles on retirement and retirement happiness. A lot of articles focused on money and different strategies of saving and spending in retirement. Many articles on health and well being. Many articles on where to live. And, many articles on filling your time with activities, including volunteering or charity work. I thought the idea of volunteering sounded appealing at the time and thought I would start doing something like that soon after retirement began. Well, here I am 2+ years in and I haven't done any volunteer work at all. Since retirement, I seem to be pretty busy even if I'm busy doing nothing at all. I did leave my name and phone number at one charity thrift store because they had a sign up that said they were in need of volunteers. I said I could shelve items and test electronics. Sounded like it would be a job that I would enjoy. I never heard anything back and I'm not sure the kid I gave my info to really passed it on the the manager or not. I've shopped in that thrift store many times since, but didn't inquire or follow up on volunteer work.

I have seen on several blogs and in several articles that retirees can get overwhelmed with volunteering some times because once you do one thing, many other people and places begin to come to you for your help. I guess once you get started it sometimes is hard to say "no". 

I still think I need to give back some of my time and skills somewhere, I'm just not sure where. I guess once I got on a schedule and knew every Wednesday from 1-3pm was my time, I would get used to it.

There are food banks, homeless shelters, charity thrift stores, charity 5Ks, etc that probably need volunteers on a regular basis. In the past my wife and I have served food at a local homeless shelter. It made me think of how lucky and blessed I was every time I did it. So, I agree with the theory that giving is good for the soul. I just need to get myself motivated.

With the world still in a pandemic, is even safe to be out volunteering? I'm vaccinated, so I feel pretty good about being out, but I'm still cautious and awaiting a booster to come out to make me even more confident about getting out. 

Do you volunteer anywhere and if so how is it going? What are other ways a retiree could help others? Have you found yourself like me with good intentions but little or zero follow through? Are you one of those that has done too much volunteering? 

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Gandhi

“Every person can make a difference, and every person should try.” – John F. Kennedy

Puzzles

Since I have retired I have begun working jigsaw puzzles fairly frequently. I enjoy them during the winter months when I can't get outside and when the weather is not so good. I do not possess a lot of patience so longer term projects such as building a plane or restoring a car is probably not for me. A jigsaw puzzle allows me to have many little wins while I am working it. I really enjoy White Mountain puzzles that contain a collection of many different things. I am currently working the one above with TV lunch boxes. I have also worked White Mountain puzzles that involve cereal boxes, childhood books, candy, etc. I get my little wins and sense of accomplishment many times with these puzzles. Finish the Fruit Loops cereal box among the 20 cereal boxes...Win! Finish the Goodnight Moon book cover among 20 other book covers....Win! Finish the whole puzzle....Mega Win!

In the winter I may finish one puzzle and break out the next one. Right now, I may finish a puzzle and not start another for several days or weeks depending on my mood and how busy I am with other things. Over the last two weeks, I finished two puzzles while my wife and I were in Houston for her cancer surgery. I'm sure I will finish many more if we are down there for extended periods for any chemo or radiation treatments. Last week's puzzles included a 500 piece and a 1000 piece. Most of the ones I do are in that range. I have picked up a few 500 piece puzzles at Dollar Tree of colorful hot air balloons, fields of flowers, etc. 

With my patience level, I do not attempt those crazy two sided puzzles with the same scene on each side but at 90 degree angels. I do puzzles for fun, not to drive me crazy!  I usually pick colorful puzzles that are fairly easy to put together. I want enough color and shape difference in the scene to allow me to concentrate on certain areas at a time. I do not want to do a 1000 piece puzzle of a green grassy field or cloud filled sky where every piece looks like it could fit anywhere on the puzzle. That is madness for me! I really like White Mountain Puzzles and Buffalo puzzles. The piece sizes and quality seem to be better than most. White Mountain puzzles often retail for $18.99 or more. I get most of my puzzles on discount or at thrift stores and pay 99 cents to  $2.99. I have found two White Mountain puzzles (all pieces were there!) at thrift stores for $1.49 and $2.99. Once you find those deals it is hard to pay full price for them. The one above was bought at a toy store at a discount at $8.99. I figured for hours of entertainment, that wasn't too bad of a price.

Puzzles are probably "old fashioned" these days with all the games and things on our phones and endless streaming possibilities. But, the engagement of my mind, I think, is better than being on my phone or watching TV. Hopefully, my puzzle habit will stave off dementia.

Speaking of "old fashioned", I enjoy playing dominos and cards, but haven't played either in some time. Maybe when we get past this pandemic, I can convince some friends or neighbors into a game every once in awhile. My parents used to play "42" dominoes with friend often. They also played "Conasta", the card game. I learned "Conasta" but haven't played it in 30+ years and would need a refresher. I'm sure there are some that still play a weekly or monthly game of dominoes or cards and I think I would enjoy that. A recent phenomenon seems to be Mahjong. I hear that the game is fun but takes some time to master. I would definitely like to add Mahjong to my accomplished list of new things this year or next.

What do you like to fill some of your time with? Do you do jigsaw puzzles and if so what are your favorite sizes, scenes, etc? Do you have a weekly game night of cards, dominoes or Mahjong? Are there any other things you do that are similar in nature?

'Ol Bessie

 In retirement, I have two pretty dependable cars that I have mentioned before. A black Toyota Tacoma and a blue Subaru Crosstrek. I hope that these cars last us a long time and will not have too many costly repairs. When I was young my dad named some of his cars, 1937 Ford Truck was Henry, his newer blue truck was 'Ol Blue and his red truck was called Red. He was very innovative with his names. I began naming my cars just for fun and to carry on dad's tradition. One of my first loved cars was a 1973 Mustang Mach 1. It was a turquoise color called medium aqua and had an avocado interior. Someone must have ordered those two colors together, because it was a strange combination. Over the years that car was painted with gray primer after a head on collision with a cow. That car was Bessie. Somewhere down the line I had heard of that name for a car and it just stuck with me. From then on I named most every car we had with well thought out names. There was White Bessie, Blue Bessie, Red Bessie, Work Bessie, etc. My '73 Mustang became Original Bessie just to keep track of things. One time at work, I had to fly from OKC to Albuquerque to pick up my new work car, a red Ford Taurus, and drive it 9 hours back to OKC. I got home and announced that after getting a good feel of the car and it's personality and having 9 hours to contemplate it, I had picked out a name.....Red Bessie. My wife and kids just groaned. 

My two kids have picked up the tradition and named their cars too! My daughter's first car, a red Mustang convertible, was named Abby and then her next car, a blue Honda Civic, was Blueberry Giles. Her current Ford Edge is called Sandy. My son's first car was a white Mustang named Sadie and his next car, a maroon Mustang, was Ellie. His current Ford Focus ST is called Stella. 

My wife named her blue Subaru, Blue Bonnet and my black Toyota is Midnight. I know, Midnight is out of my normal Bessie range, but I also refer to it as Black Bessie. I often refer to her car as Blue Bessie and she quickly corrects me. 

Retirees on fixed incomes must have good dependable transportation that doesn't break the bank with upkeep and repairs. There are lists from various sources on the most dependable, the safest, the least repairs, etc. When looking for your retirement cars, please do your research and pick something that will suit your needs and your budget. Most often, retirees are not caught up in the glitz and glamour of the priciest cars out there, but looking for good, dependable transportation. Some will downsize from two or more cars to just one car as the extra is no longer needed to get back and forth to work. For my wife and I, we need two to go our separate ways as needed and to have a truck to carry larger items when needed. We use her Subaru for most road trips due to the space and great mileage. We use my truck for shorter trips, Home Depot trips, and I use it when going metal detecting (she doesn't like all the dirt in her car!).

What vehicles did you pick to drive and why? Do you name your cars? If so, what are the names? I'm sure there are some unique names out there!

Cruising Success!

 Returned yesterday from our cruise and it was awesome! Cruising at the beginning of the pandemic comeback has it's benefits. Our ship had a passenger capacity of around 3600. On our cruise the passenger count was around 2000. What a difference that made on board! Never a line of more than 3 people at the buffet line on the Lido deck. Open lounge chairs on all decks. The dining room was no more than half full at any time. The cruise was at full staff as far as workers go and we were waited on hand and foot. This was only the second month back in operation and the staff were very excited to be back on board and working and it showed. 

This was a family cruise and we took our single son and married daughter, husband and granddaughter on this trip. Our two year old granddaughter had a great time. She was one of the youngest and one of the very few children on board. The staff treated her like a princess and she loved every minute! The only signs of pandemic effects on the cruise were having to wear a mask upon embarkation and debarkation, having to wear a mask at both port cities (Progresso and Cozumel) due to local and national rules. Unvaccinated cruisers had to stay on board in the ports or take a "bubble" tour from Carnival. Our two year old granddaughter stayed on board with one parent. All things on the ship were normal. No mask needed for vaccinated cruisers (which was at least 95% of us). All normal shows, comic shows, bingo, etc. The only thing not running on board was Dr. Seuss Cat in the Hat for the little kids. 

I was able to have coffee at one of my favorite spots as I noted in the blog "Coffee". Up on deck 10 or 11 looking off the back of the ships in early morning. Glorious!! Savored even more after this last couple of years.

My wife and I went way out of our comfort zone on this cruise. This is our 8th or 9th cruise and I never want to volunteer for any contest that will get me on stage or out in front of a crowd. Before this cruise started my wife had made the comment that she was going to do whatever and have a great time no matter who was watching. She stated she has a changed attitude, since her cancer diagnosis, and she said she doesn't care what other people think anymore. On our first full day of the cruise, we were out on the Lido deck when a contest was announced for 20 contestants to compete as the cruise Mixologist for coming up with the best drink. My wife signed up so my son-in-law would sign up and at the last second I joined in. My wife and I have no idea on how to mix up alcoholic drinks. The 20 contestants were given a sheet to pick our ingredients and to name our drink. I circled 3 alcohols and 3 juices. I have never made this and I had no clue as to what it would taste like.  My wife named her drink "Nana's Surprise" mine was "Mitch's Brew". The host was going to select 4 of us to compete in the fun. I sat down and heard my wife's name get called and then right after, I got called. "Cool", I thought, "this could be fun". We go up to the front of the Lido deck crowd and the the cruise director announces not only will our drink be judged, but also our dancing. My brain was saying "Hey, wait a minute!". We all 4 danced a little in place while the DJ played music and I thought this wasn't too bad. Then the cruise director calls me out, puts me in the middle of the deck, hands me a glass and says "Now you have to shake it like you mean it" or something to that affect. I couldn't quit now! The DJ hit the music and I shook that make believe drink like you wouldn't believe, up and down, side to side, behind my back, between my legs. Finally, it was over and the next 3, including my wife, had to do the same thing. Then one by one they made our drink and let the 3 judges taste them and judge them. My drink concoction got three "5's", my dancing not so much. At the end of the contest I won, my wife was runner up and the last place got "1's" because his drink looked like green sewer water and must have tasted just as bad!  For the rest of the cruise "Mitch's Brew" was available at the Lido deck bars! My wife and I had never done anything like this, but we had a blast! It's always good to get out of that comfort zone and experience something knew.