Long afternoons appear most days. Sunday morning, previously Me Time, has been absorbed to other open times since retiring. On a chronic basis, I would start the day at the local Brew HaHa with a large porcelain mug of their dark roast blend, fortified with a dash of half & half, shake of either Cinnamon or nutmeg, and sometimes a packet of brown sugar. Then once it is confirmed that the table doesn't wobble, I would set down the mug and open up my weekly planning kit. More often than not I would complete the plan before the coffee, leaving me with a few minutes to surf the web on my tablet. Next stop most weeks, the Target Store. I rarely bought anything but started at Mens Clearance, then Mens, then onward to kitchen ware and small appliances. On the way in I would look at the weekly ads that they posted on the entrance, but even on sale, other places had better prices. Then home. Often later in the day I would go to a different store: Boscovs or TJ Maxx for clothing, Shop-Rite or Trader Joe's for groceries, Total Wine for tasting and maybe purchase, Cabelas to see what fishing gear they had on sale, or the New Castle Farmers Market for a haircut and tour of the Chinese discount store. I needed very little, wanted a little more, but rarely indulged except if there were a really good deal on shoes in my hard to find size. Retirement has not changed my needs but it has largely obliterated my wants, so much so that my presence in any store other than periodic grocery shopping has plummeted.
Not that I ever found puttering around the stores a disheartening experience. It was a diversion from work, how I might take some of what I earned out of storage and convert it to tangible goods or satisfy the few wants that I had. Now it's different. I just don't want anything and don't seek out a prompt of what I might want but don't realize yet. It's better this way.
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