If I were a rich man

One of the great things about getting older (and older...) is having an ever-increasing sense of "self":  what you value, and who you are.

My job is the best job I have ever had:  interesting (usually!) work that is useful to society, with good co-workers, a good boss, and a good boss' boss.  I used to say that if I won the big lottery I'd still keep working half-time.

But, over the Easter weekend, I realized:  nah.  I have way too many things that I enjoy doing -- such that working half-time still wouldn't leave me enough time to accomplish everything that I'd want to.

On March 31st, I wrote this note to myself:  “I need to retire now, just to accomplish all my songwriting/recording/instrument-learning/woodworking/gardening/reading/exercising/martial arts goals!!!”


If I had the time, and didn’t think my muscle memory would get confused, I’d take two martial arts a week: maybe a grappling style plus a striking-based style, to minimize the muscle memory overlap.

Oh:  and I'd take tap-dancing lessons.


Here's some preliminary planning -- in anticipation of winning the lottery.


Activities:

-Martial arts
-Woodworking
-Film/video shooting
-Recording songs
-Tap dance
-Learning instruments
-Weightlifting
-Yardwork
-Typing up my backlog of notes and such from over the years.


Most weekdays, here's my preliminary schedule:

-Take the kids to school, then drive back home
-A quick breakfast
-Practice instrument #1 for 15 mins
-Practice instrument #2 for 15 mins
-Spend 3 hrs 45 mins doing something creative (recording music or shooting and/or editing film or doing woodworking or writing a screenplay)
-About 15 mins cleaning up (e.g. showering, if I've been woodworking)
-A quick (late) lunch
-Go get the kids from school, bring them back home
-About 15 mins on the punching bag
-Evenings:  help w/ kids' homework some nights; martial arts classes other nights


It's actually a moderate drive to my kids' school -- so two days a week I'd just hang out in that neighborhood during the day, rather than making two round trips.

The plan would be:

-Drive the kids to school
-Borrow one of their music practice rooms (more like little booths) for a half hour and practice an instrument
-Put the instrument in the car and jog to the local gym
-Work out for about four hours
-Jog back to school
-Get the kids and bring them home (while sweating like a monkey)


Weekends:  mostly yardwork, plus errands


Anyhow -- that's the plan.  Now I just need to win the lottery...  ;)


--GG