It has been great having these ten days off over the
Christmas/New Year period but they have been tainted a bit by the problems I
have had with regard to the migraine and inflammation in my neck. It has, however, given me time to think!
This year, 2012, is the year when my husband can
retire. He is, however, going to
continue working until we have finished paying off our mortgage, and I am not
due to reach retirement age for another 5 years 7 months. But it has led me to think about the future
and about my own personality.
For those of you that read my earlier post about wanting a
dog this is not, as yet, the same opinion of my husband. He always said that when Charlie died 11
years ago that he would never want another dog, as he could not replace
him. During that time and since then we
have always had cats but since our last cat left this world we have had no pets
and he has been quite happy with that because of his desire to move to Spain.
Just lately I have been getting rather restless with this
decision (I agreed at first) and due to my inactivity over the Christmas period
I have been watching Cesar Millan (Dog Whisperer) who not only gave me a
psychological insight into the canine species but he has also made me question
my desire for one.
Now I am an impulsive person I know so I have questioned
myself quite thoroughly as to why I want one ‘now’. Why not wait 5 years or so until we have moved to Spain? Well the answer came over this period of
inactivity!
For those that know my hubby they will know a chilled out,
relaxed person, who can sleep in until midday – no problem – and although he
works dammed hard on whatever project he is undertaking he can likewise be
quite content just sitting. Whether he
is sitting at the computer or sitting on a balcony observing life passing by,
he is content with that. Also into this
comes the fact that he has trouble with his spine and cannot therefore walk
very far.
I, on the other hand, get bored very quickly. Ok I can sit at my laptop and do whatever I
want to do but I can’t sit and watch TV without having my laptop on so that I
am ‘doing’ something. My mind and body
needs stimulation.
So what does this have to do with a dog you may ask?
Well all my life I have been a walker. If I didn’t have a car then I couldn’t be
bothered to wait for a bus – I would walk.
If I had a problem on my mind – then I would walk and think it through. But as the years have gone by then the
walking has slowed down. Work has taken
up all my time and hubby’s bad back has even made our long walks on holiday a
thing of the past.
However the thought of retirement has brought with it the
thought of “what on earth will I do”?
I initially thought that I would pass the time working on my
computer, but over the passed few days when I couldn’t be bothered to even
blog, I realised that I need more than that.
Whether in a house or an apartment after the initial
relaxation stage I start to become like a caged animal. I pace up and down. Housework only conquers a bit of the surplus
energy that I have and working on a computer or painting does not fulfil my
need to escape the confines of the four walls.
I am also an early riser and so the ‘waiting’ until my hubby
rises is also spent just waiting!
Ok so I could go out and wander around on my own but that
all seems without a purpose, also these days it is not always safe!
So my vision of retirement is not to sit around or pottering
about in the garden; it is not spent waiting until my hubby arises; it not even
spent working on my computer. All of
these I will and can do when I feel like it.
My vision is to have a dog as a companion. Someone that will wake up when I do, who will enjoy going out for
walks to escape the four walls, and someone who will help me to keep fit. I know I can still do it – the 8 mile hike
home from work in the snow last year proved I can still do it!
So why now and not 5 years or so from now?
Well I have always exercised from 5.30 to 6 AM every day
before going to work but just lately I have been losing interest. Exercising along with a DVD starts to get
boring. I am concerned that sitting at
a computer at work all day and then sitting at my laptop each evening is
starting to affect my health and fitness.
I don’t want to wait 5 years to get fit!
Hubby is concerned about having a pet and going on
holiday. Well the answer to that is
easy. A cat had to stay at home, but a
dog is mobile. My daughter is a vet
nurse and has a house full of animals, another dog for a couple of weeks is
just “the more the merrier” plus it would get used to socialising with other
animals and get to run in the field while she takes care of her horses. It would be a holiday for the dog too!
Hubby is concerned about when we move to Spain. No problem there either. I have already checked out the procedure for
a pet passport. When we move we will be
driving there so we just take the dog with us.
Eurotunnel welcomes pets and they stay in the car with you and the ferry
has kennels for the overnight journey.
Once in Spain it is not my hubby’s intention to come back to the UK and
our children/grandchildren definitely want free holidays!
So there you go. My
reflection on what I want and why.
Sorry to go on so much but I wanted to see it in black and white to
clear it up in my mind. Now all I’ve
got to do is 1) find a dog and 2) convince hubby.
Wish me luck!
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