The Goal: To care for my health and wellbeing.
I made the commitment to age as well as I can by staying active, keeping fit and finding health and self-care providers.
The Grade: A+
No false modesty, folks. I’m nailing this one. I’ve bumped up my activity level and lost ten pounds since I retired. Three mornings a week I play Pickleball (and I’m loving it), three mornings I walk a mile to the fitness center, lift weights and walk back. I spend the rest of my morning in the pool. And – ta dah! – today I ordered my personal chariot. A bright blue adult tricycle, complete with basket, lights and bell, so I can pedal to the pool and Pickleball and explore the local bike trails. I’m also giving myself points for perseverance in finding a primary care physician (they’re hard to get appointments with down here), dentist and, after two tries, a great hairdresser. And I’ve got an awesome tan. Go ahead, hate me. Retirement is good for the body and soul.
The Goal: To thrive as a writer.
I pledged to use my extra leisure time to continue and promote my creative output and to seek out local resources to support those efforts.
The Grade: B+
Almost done with the second draft of my new thriller, Tell On You, which is sort of Lolita meets Fatal Attraction. So that’s pretty exciting. I put a copy of Shrink Rapt into the lending library here in our development and have picked up some new fans. There are a couple of independent bookstores in the area to be courted and I discovered an Island Writers Network that meets nearby on Hilton Head (but not during the summer). On the downside, my Goodreads author page crashed a month ago and is still moribund. Feeling like I could use a little more traction on the self-promotion, which always comes hard for me.
Overall Grade: A-
I love it here in the Low Country and feel like the transition is going smoothly. Looking forward to more adventures in the days ahead. Stay tuned!