When I first began spending time with my dad, we were out in the community several times per week:
Cardiac rehab exercise class twice a week at the local hospital; “lunch bunch” every other week on Wednesdays at the Village Inn, when it was “free pie day.”
We would go each Wednesday morning to his church men’s group. We would read the newspaper each day. Nebraska football on football Saturdays. Wheel of Fortune at 6:30 pm each Monday through Friday evening. This was his retirement routine for a couple of decades.
Because he needed a driver and a companion due to changing cognitive skills, it was as if I, too, stepped into his retirement. I remember thinking one day, “Gosh, I am not ready for retirement at all, but here I am, living out someone else’s retirement.”
I relaxed into the experience, and while I am still not ready for retirement, I have met some really nice folks who, like my dad, are living out their retirement.
As the daughter of one of our companions said, “Everyone should have a chance to care for their parent; it can be beautiful and will change your life.”
