I wrote this for a bunch of other old coots on the Cushman forum. Even if you aren't ready to retire, it is never too early to start planning, so you might pick up an idea or two from this. Read on:

Those folks who think they will have more spare time when they retire are whistling in the dark. The only way that can happen is if you plan to sit in the rocking chair and waste away. These days, retired people are busy, really busy, and I'm talking about a large majority.

In the first place, we are living longer and staying healthy longer. I never dreamed I would last 13 years after retirement, but I guess I've been working at it. I credit my Cushman hobby with being a major reason for my survival. If you worry about your health, it takes a toll on you. But you can worry about a Cushman that isn't running right, and somehow that is good for you.

But any kind of busy is better than sitting there doing nothing. I happen to be married to a woman who loves to travel almost as much as I do. She retired several years after I did and she hasn't missed a scooter meet since. We have also reached a goal of traveling to all 50 states.

Another survival tactic is work. I mainly work on the yard and in the garden, but I enjoy it enough to wonder if it is really work.

I write for a site called yourhub.com which is part of the Knoxville News Sentinel website, and a few of my stories have been picked up for the newspaper. At last count, I had 52 stories on there.

And best of all, we have five grandchildern ranging in age from 8 to 20. I know a lot about kids, and these are five of the greatest. Being a grandfather, I am allowed to say that.

I walk a lot (doctors orders), and ride a scooter or a bicycle from time to time. I have had two projects that I work on all the time. One is "cleaning up the shop" which I have been doing since 1999, and "cleaning up the garage" which I have been doing since 1980. There has been no noticable progress, but it keeps me busy.

We are currently awaiting the birth of an antique car, that blue 1957 Volkswagen. I think it will be here in a week or so. And that reminds me; I need to go work on cleaning up a Volkswagen sized space in the garage.

What is this "spare time" stuff that people talk about?
Howard