November 21, 2019 - 69 - "A Round Tuit"

Retirement and Round Tuits

      Michael retired two years ago, and we've had a long series of deadlines ever since.  Most of the deadlines involved big family events and/or huge home restoration projects.  He's been so busy that, so far, it really hasn't seemed like he's retired at all.

      The project in Mexico is at a stage where Michael can't be in the house while the next stage is getting done.  So this past week he's, finally, getting to work on settling into the office he built above the garage.  

     This project was part of our plan to adjust to his retirement, and all of the massive amounts of time we expected to both be home together.  This, of course, hasn't really happened.  But, when and if it ever does happen we will both still have a little breathing room.

     

Decluttering to Find Hidden Treasures

     So, anyway, Michael wanted to have a serious

clearing out of his books and various camera and office equipment and finally was able to get 'a round tuit' this past week.  

     He said he came across a book he got for a class in college. "The Visual Arts as Human Experience" is by a University of Texas professor, Donald L. Weissman.  

     While taking the class Michael only had time to skim for the crucial information that might be on the tests, but he found the book really interesting and thought he'd like to read it one day.

     Sooo...he's hauled the thing around with him for at least twenty moves over the years; from Austin, to L.A., to Tulsa, to New York, to North Carolina, and back to North Texas,...and probably some other places I'm not thinking of at the moment.

     Now, here it is almost fifty years later, and he sat down and actually started reading it.  He says it's really giving him some great ideas relating to his photography, and the way he sees things.  

     Retirement is finally allowing him the 'round tuit' he kept wishing for.

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No Time For Education

     In addition to thinking of how long it takes us to get to certain projects in life, this also makes me think:  

                     How hilarious is it that there's so little time for learning...

when you're in college? 

Busy Busy Busy

    Michael and I both worked our way through school so our lack of time was probably more extreme than a lot of student's experiences.  But even without work there's still the fact that you have multiple classes, and each professor seems to think that's the only class you have.  Plus there's all the social stuff.  Then there's the fact that you're on your own for the first time.  So there's learning to manage your life, and time, and laundry, and food...  There's also suddenly more access to alcohol and drugs, and less supervision to limit your experimentation.  And there's all the time and energy focused on forming relationships with friends and the opposite sex.  

     College is, ironically, one of the hardest times in your life to actually absorb information.  

      It gave me a lifetime thirst for knowledge, and an overview of a lot of subjects.  But I certainly didn't acquire any real depth of knowledge in a specific area.  Almost every class I was in I thought:  I wish I had time to read all of the material and really take all of this in! 

     I had at least one job throughout college...and often two or three.  I wanted to get out of school in four years and not rack up any more debt than I absolutely had to.  There simply was no time to do more than just eke by in any given class.  

     I am loving, and vicariously living through Michael finally having the time to finally soak it all in.  

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"The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education."

-Albert Einstein

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"I see retirement as just another of these reinventions, another chance to do new things and be a new version of myself."

-Walt Mossberg

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