Retirement Math: Time, Time, + More Time
Retirement has given me something I once claimed I never had: time. Time to swim (or more like dip), time to learn new things. Time to look at my calendar and say, “This week for sure,” while already knowing it’s going to be next week. Or next month. Or… well, you get the idea. 😜
But this morning, something incredible happened.
Smooth Roads, Bumpy Intentions
The road to Long Bay beach (if you know Antigua and Barbuda, you know this deserves a special mention) is nicely paved and impressively smooth. I’m talking “glide like butter from the Sir Viv Richards Stadium all the way to Willikies Village” kind of paved.” Except, (and there is always an except) for the little stretch through the village that looks like it got missed when the road crew packed up and went home, but otherwise, it’s an unexpectedly delightful ride.
I can’t help but think: “If only my intentions were that smooth.”
GAARD Center: Still Loading…
Before Willikies Village and Long Bay though, there’s the sign for the GARD Center. That’s Gilbert Agricultural & Rural Development Center, for those who don’t speak acronymese. I’ve had half a mind (and half an application) to sign up for one of their courses if they’ll have me.
They offer all sorts of programmes, from agri-business management to hydroponic farming, which sounds like the perfect antidote to staring at screens all day. Horticulture? Hydroponics? Plant-whispering? Anything to keep the mind nimble and the hands busy. But, alas, that application has been marinating in my brain and on my phone for weeks. 🤷♀️
Either way, every drive past that GARD Center sign feels like a reminder: sometimes, the seeds you don’t plant are the ones that nag at you the most. 🌱
Plot Twist: I Actually Went to the Beach
But today wasn’t just about the smooth roads and missed chances. I actually made it to Long Bay. Before 8 a.m. Mind you, I’ve been telling myself for months that I’d start going to the beach at least once a week. A sunrise sea bath to realign the senses and soothe sore muscles. (Yep! Muscles! Because gym days can be brutal, but that’s for another blog.)
Yet every time, I’d wake up, look at the sky, and decide it was “too cloudy,” “too sunny,” “too breezy,” or just “too much.” But this morning, the universe and the asphalt aligned. I showed up. I parked. I walked down to the beach. And I floated.
Salt water works better than guilt.
The Bigger Point
So what’s the point?
The road to Long Bay may be nicely paved, but the road to doing the things that are good for us? Still riddled with potholes. Of procrastination. Of overthinking. Of “I’ll do it tomorrow.” But here’s the thing:
Sometimes the only way forward is to roll over the bumps, grit your teeth, and keep going even if it rattles the cupholder.
Baby Steps Count Too
So, this is me easing back into the driver’s seat of my own intentions. One beach morning and one unfinished application at a time. I’m not promising daily dips or prize-winning flowers just yet but I am saying: the next time the road is clear and the water’s calling, I’ll be there.
And maybe, just maybe, I’ll finish that GAARD Center application form before the year ends. (Don’t hold your breath. Unless you’re doing laps at Long Bay.)
Your Turn to Confess
So now I’ll toss it back to you:
- What’s your Long Bay? That one thing you’ve been meaning to do forever but still hasn’t made it past “good intentions”?
- Tag the friend who keeps promising a beach day and then invents excuses. (Yes, I see you. 👀)
- And if you’re brave enough, remind me in December to ask if I finally finished that GARD application. Spoiler: odds are 50/50.
