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Share your quitting journey

Drive-by on day 194 & birds

DonnaMarie
Member
5 17 125

I've been retired for 28 days now. Amazing. It's scary when I think of the money but it's also scary when I think about all that derned free time. So, I'm organizing my time (but not too much!) and will now have two volunteer gigs. I do most of my police volunteer work at the probation office once a week for about 3 hours. I had contacted our local hospice house about volunteering there and today, yep today, I got training for working there once a week too. The short story is that I'm going to be caring for and filling their multiple bird feeders. The longer version is that the man who was doing it passed away a couple years back (he was 97!!!) and his daughter tried to keep it up for him, but it wasn't her thing. So now, I get to do it.

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These are my own bird feeders on my back deck.

Someone at the Virginia Beach EX meeting that I attended said something about stepping outside our comfort zones. Then not long after that, I read a thing about getting outside your comfort zone as you continue to have birthdays and how it's highly recommended. Well, volunteering at hospice is outside my comfort zone, but the work itself is not. I take care of several bird feeders of my own at home!

As my body continues to heal from surgery, the non-stomach stomach illness, and general stuff, I've been going to my neighbor's pool still. I bumped up my exercise time to 40 minutes and will hold it there for a bit.

All of the above wouldn't be as possible if I were still smoking. I wouldn't have the energy to do stuff, move around, go to the pool, or whatever. I wouldn't have any of what it takes to stick to it or anything; I'd be constantly thinking about my next smoke. Well, guess what? I don't do that anymore. What I do is live each day as if it is my last. I've been given several second chances over the last bazillion years and I'm working those second chances!

I am not boasting about what I am adding to my schedule. Nope. What I am doing is celebrating my free time and ability to fill it how I want - not by standing outside for 10-15 minutes untold numbers of time per day.

Here's to everyone's quit whether you be planning, on day 10, or several years into it - we are all so worth it and the world is out there waiting for us to grab onto it.

Donna

Day 194

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