Bird Brains

Yesterday I wrote about human nature, today I will write about Henrietta the Hen.  I’m sure you have heard phrases such as bird witted or hen witted.  There’s a reason for that, birds can be such idiots. 

My girls are one year old this month and I have been faithfully feeding them since they were one day old.  One would assume that these creatures would know that I mean them no harm but each and every day they run squawking out of the chicken coop as though I had entered the room with an axe in my hand.  No such thing, I come in peace, bringing food and water.  Every morning.  Talk about a demoralizing loss of self-esteem as a good person.  Hens can do that to you every time.

Once the crisis of early morning is overcome however the hens apparently feel that it’s incumbent on them to restore my faith in their loyalty by running up to the fence every single time they hear the door slam or even when they spot us through 2 layers of windows standing at the kitchen sink.  They watch us in high anticipating of getting a crust of bread, a potato peeling or some wild bird seed.  Ever hopeful they make me feel like an utter heel when I don’t throw them a bone, so to speak.

When I enter the chicken run and throw out the seed they run around me or follow me about with utter faith.  They even huddle down and allow me to pet them gently on their back.  They watch expectantly as I twist the cabbage into the hook for them to attack happily as their mid afternoon snack.

And next morning we have it all to do over again, regaining their trust.  It’s like they are playing Drew Barrymore in “50 First Dates” and I am the hapless Adam Sandler.

Bird Brains!

A Human Vision

What I know for sure is that people just want to be happy.  The obstruction to happiness is greed.  These are two simple statements that I see as the past, present and future crisis of humanity.

Why am I talking about this today?  In Alberta we are in the throes of our provincial election campaigning and after last week’s Federal Budget we can see it as the kickoff of the campaign for the fall federal election.  One of the interesting things about campaigning is how candidates will lie right to the public’s face about promises, the past and about their opponents.  It is very rare to feel empathy for any politician no matter what their political stripe because at the end of the day, I for one, know that I am going to be disappointed.  It is a curious fact about human nature, we inevitable vote in the most greedy, corrupt characters possible.  Even those who go into a race with seemingly the best intentions end up buttering their own bread before that of their constituents.

Reflecting on history we can see the rise and fall of brilliant societies such as Athens, Rome or even the United States.  The premise of these republics was benign government but it didn’t take very long before those who wanted just a little more than anybody else got their greedy little fingers in the pie.  It seems inevitable that human nature has this despicable characteristic lurking in our souls.

I have wracked my brain for many hours over the years trying to discover some solution to squelching this “inevitability” because, as I have said many times before, humanity is very disappointing.

Here’s one of the concerns that make me want to strive for a solution.  As I said in my first sentence, no matter what culture or religion a person is from the basic desire of a human being is simply to be happy.  How can any nation achieve happiness for their citizens?  People need basic necessities of life, meaningful work and a safe environment and these things are achievable everywhere – if it wasn’t for greed.  No one really believes that these fundamental Islamic terrorists are perpetrating their horrors because of their own twisted belief in religion.  Of course it is about money, it always is.

How can we prevent greed?

Greed ≠  Happiness

Leisure

Easter was early this year but still it was April so one expects it to be somewhat spring like which it was until Saturday evening when snow began to fall the size of apples.  In the morning we woke to a winter wonderland where the trees and bushes were literally bending over laden with snow.  I was quick to get on my winter gear and first take some pictures and then start my trek around the property to rescue the trees.  I stood under the branches and shook them vigorously and then stepped back to let the branches snap back into their normal position.  Once in a while I would get a snap in the face and all the time I was drizzled with snow.  I was having a lot fun all by myself and thinking how much kids would be enjoying this surprise dump of winter.  Out in the country we received anywhere from a foot to two feet of snow and it was the good, wet, fluffy kind that you could make snowmen with.  Sadly I was too busy rescuing the trees to really play and the next day it was so crunchy that you couldn’t budge the stuff.

The surprising shift in the weather gave me the opportunity to give myself a holiday.  Now you are wondering, holiday, in retirement?  As I wrote in my last blog I have been six months into my retirement and I have been very busy with my projects but except for Christmas time I have not stayed in bed until 10 a.m. to read my book and just get up lazily to have a second breakfast and putz.  So that’s what I have been doing this week, taking some leisure time for myself and trying not to feel guilty.  I have skipped my exercise all this week (3 days so far) and keep telling myself “it’s your holiday”.  What I am realizing though is that a person cannot work for 40 years without having routines in one’s life and it is hard to break all sense of structure without having to find an excuse such as saying “I am on holiday”.

It’s amazing how much we learn about ourselves when we have the time to think beyond the material, workaday world.  As often as we say that the world is interesting, or such and so is interesting, isn’t it wonderful to discover that you, yourself, are interesting?

Six Month Anniversary

It’s April 1^st but this is one person who is not a fool today as she celebrates her 6 month anniversary as a retiree.  As my “retirement coach” suggested, a person should look back on their time and say “wow, what a great ride” rather than “how time flies”.  I am happy to report that the first is what I am thinking about the first 6 months and I am looking forward to more of the same over the spring and summer months.

Looking at the 6 sections of the Retirement Pie (Physical, Mental, Social, Financial, Spiritual & Activity) I would say that I have concentrated on 4 pieces to date.  I have stayed steady on a one hour exercise program, I have practiced frugality (after a well-planned financial program that I have been working with my adviser on) and I have nailed down my social life almost by accident.  Delivering my eggs to my former colleagues once a week has also served as lunch and coffee dates that keep me well connected.  As well, it is fortunate that in this age of electronics we have the use of Facebook and email to stay in touch with so many people who lead busy lives.  As for activity, it seems like there aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything that I want to do but there’s always tomorrow.  And I haven’t even got to the “leisure” part of retirement yet!  And Mom thought I would be bored.

As for the Spiritual and Mental pieces, I seem to be lagging a little in these departments but hey, it’s only the first 6 months!  To some extent I have been learning since I have been reading a lot on sustainable farming, beekeeping and gardening in general.  My book club is back to reading some good books and of course my usual reading never falters.  But as for my Spanish lessons, no comprendre.  The books are on hand for easy access but “I have not time” keeps cropping up.

So what can I say about retirement besides “it is highly recommended”?  Succinctly, get yourself together.  At the top of the list be sure you are financially ready for the jump because if you don’t know how to rein in your spending habits you will quickly get yourself into trouble.  Second, it is vital that you have yourself psychologically ready to take the jump.  Third, you need to be sure that you have enough things in your life to keep you busy and these should be things that you truly enjoy.  Not the honey do jar type of things but things you just love to do.  If you have always planned on making a shop in your garage because you want to do more carpentering, then great.  If you want to clean out the garage, to clean out the garage, well, not so great because that is a very limited task.  What I have found is that one project has led to others along the same line which is to get my hobbies running efficiently for me, those hobbies being arts & craft and gardening / farming.

The more a read up on retirement the more I realize that there are a whole lot of things that a person can interest themselves in.  One can take a scholarly route into studying up on a subject and even become an expert on it, perhaps writing a thesis or book.  One can find all kinds of sports to partake in and some or very inexpensive.  For example hiking and cross country skiing are pretty cheap activities.  While doing those activities one could also enjoy photography (which can be a bit more expensive if you really get into fancy cameras) or socializing. 

Meditating is something that costs nothing but your own concentration but this is an area that I must confess to being slow to get deeply in to though it is a definite goal for me.  Most people today are not church goers but attending church is inexpensive and you have opportunities to get involved both socially and charitably with these organizations.  If you are not faith oriented then meditation is a great alternative to getting in touch with the spiritual side of your being.  Now that may seem very hokey but the facts show that all 6 pieces of the Retirement Pie are essential for a well-rounded, fulfilling life.

One last word, the greatest compliment I have received is the comment that I am the poster child for what retirement should look like. 

(please don’t hate me).