Jun 01 2008
Joys of Retirement TWO - Discovering Nature
Joys of Retirement TWO - the Joy of Discovering Nature
I didn’t just suddenly discover nature when I retired. But what I did discover was how much I started to notice the natural world and what was going on around me.
Never before had I ever noticed each day how much higher the snow line was on the mountain I see out my window.
Never before had I ever noticed how much the Bitterroot River rose during the hot afternoons of spring; and that I could detect a difference of six inches along the shore line, as the river approached flood stage.
Never before had I noticed how many more blooms were on the neighbor’s lilac bush than were there the previous day.
Never before had I noticed how the air smelled of lilac as I walked out to the mail boxes to retrieve the morning paper.
Never before had I noticed how green the new growth is on a Douglas Fir.
Never before had I noticed and recognized the same white tail doe and her three fawns that frequent our yard and the neighbor’s too. I see them all at rest, the babies gradually nesting down a little further from mama as they grew older day by day. What a wonderful experience to see and enjoy!
Where have I been? In the fog. The job fog; the career fog; the 8 to 5 every day fog. I am so happy and joyful to be retired. What a wonderful life.
