Day 242 of 365 - One, Two, Cha-Cha-Cha
In life, as in dancing, there are familiar steps, patterns and routines which are predictable, at least for certain periods of time. For example, on average, you know how many years a basic education takes. If you do further education or training for a vocation, programs run for a defined period of time. There are beginnings, endings, transitions.
In my dance based NIA class, there are reliable movement patterns, a certain number of basic moves, which are incorporated into each routine. Even though the sequence of choreography changes for the type of music or the focus, once you have learned the basics, it gives you some sense of security in learning a new routine. Your brain relaxes when it recognizes a movement pattern, and your body just follows through with it.
There is one basic move which, let's say for the sake of this example is, one, two, cha-cha-cha. It's almost always that way. However, in a routine we learned awhile back, the cha-cha-cha came first. Darn, I had trouble with that! I really had to talk myself through it time after time, or I automatically did it the original way. It would stop me in my tracks.
When I concentrate, focus, and do it as directed, it actually feels easy. But, when it appears now, I'm still caught off guard the first few times it repeats. I'm uncertain whether it will ever feel as automatic as the original way.
The choreography in our predictable daily routines was recently suddenly changed, when my husband was somewhat unexpectedly released from his job last week. Mind you, he is certainly of retirement age, and was, as I've written about before, continuing to work past age 65 to further build investments for our future. He'd been seriously considering leaving later in this year or early in the next.
It's one thing though to plan and make the choice yourself, and another to have it done for you. All in all, it was good timing, for various reasons. But, the dance steps of our daily lives are suddenly changed.
Perhaps it's a good thing that, as was planned awhile ago, I am away from home for the week keeping a friend company. We each have time on our own to absorb the impact and think about next steps. He's involved in a flurry of activity around meetings with our financial adviser, reviewing his exit package and planning our income.
I, being the one who was home-based, am thinking about how routines at home might change. Obviously, lots of discussion will be happening in the coming weeks. But, for now, he's doing what's timely and necessary. Beyond that, we're still taking it all in.
The choreography has changed. Our brains are still bamboozled. The predictable security of our daily routines is disrupted. But, we are adaptable. We can change. We will figure things out over time.
Maybe, in several months time, we'll wonder what all the transitional fuss was about. Cha-cha-cha, one, two might feel like the new normal.
At the very least, I'll have more actual experience of coping with retirement as a couple to write about. I expect you will be reading more on this as time goes by. :)
In my dance based NIA class, there are reliable movement patterns, a certain number of basic moves, which are incorporated into each routine. Even though the sequence of choreography changes for the type of music or the focus, once you have learned the basics, it gives you some sense of security in learning a new routine. Your brain relaxes when it recognizes a movement pattern, and your body just follows through with it.
There is one basic move which, let's say for the sake of this example is, one, two, cha-cha-cha. It's almost always that way. However, in a routine we learned awhile back, the cha-cha-cha came first. Darn, I had trouble with that! I really had to talk myself through it time after time, or I automatically did it the original way. It would stop me in my tracks.
When I concentrate, focus, and do it as directed, it actually feels easy. But, when it appears now, I'm still caught off guard the first few times it repeats. I'm uncertain whether it will ever feel as automatic as the original way.
The choreography in our predictable daily routines was recently suddenly changed, when my husband was somewhat unexpectedly released from his job last week. Mind you, he is certainly of retirement age, and was, as I've written about before, continuing to work past age 65 to further build investments for our future. He'd been seriously considering leaving later in this year or early in the next.
It's one thing though to plan and make the choice yourself, and another to have it done for you. All in all, it was good timing, for various reasons. But, the dance steps of our daily lives are suddenly changed.
Perhaps it's a good thing that, as was planned awhile ago, I am away from home for the week keeping a friend company. We each have time on our own to absorb the impact and think about next steps. He's involved in a flurry of activity around meetings with our financial adviser, reviewing his exit package and planning our income.
I, being the one who was home-based, am thinking about how routines at home might change. Obviously, lots of discussion will be happening in the coming weeks. But, for now, he's doing what's timely and necessary. Beyond that, we're still taking it all in.
The choreography has changed. Our brains are still bamboozled. The predictable security of our daily routines is disrupted. But, we are adaptable. We can change. We will figure things out over time.
Maybe, in several months time, we'll wonder what all the transitional fuss was about. Cha-cha-cha, one, two might feel like the new normal.
At the very least, I'll have more actual experience of coping with retirement as a couple to write about. I expect you will be reading more on this as time goes by. :)
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