Part I: the Bark Park model.
Some people think that doing their homework about retirement consists of talking to investment "advisers" or reading glossie rags about "America's Top Ten Undiscovered Retirement Dream Towns." Or perhaps one half of the soon-to-be-retired couple has fallen under the evil sway of the cant of travel blog escapism. I'd like to suggest a faster and more effective approach to your homework: regardless of your pet situation, find a nice bench at the local "bark park." Just sit there and observe and think about the Big Picture.
Isn't it obvious that you are watching dogs enjoying the 'good life?' There is nothing subtle about a happy dog. Should the situation be that different for another species of social animals, such as homo sapiens? Oh certainly, homo sapiens is long past its hunter-gather lifestyle.
First our animal species adopted the dreary routines of settled, neolithic agriculture. The donkey model has gone through a drastic change during the last couple generations, as we coalesced into giant metropolitan areas. Now our model is that of an over-regulated and over-populated termite colony. Who knows what the next upward leap in evolution will bring us to. (Amoeba, perhaps?) But none of this has changed the hardware and firmware of the human brain or body.
Why did I even include 'in Retirement' in the title of this post? Can't stick-and-brick-bound rat-racers also live the Good Life? They can to some extent at least, but their lives are constrained by a thousand and one "necessities."
A retiree could certainly live the Good Life in a pile of sticks-and-bricks: hobbies such as gardening, community organizations, etc. That's what I first thought about. I abandoned the idea up because I admitted that I was a home-improvement junkie. Also, for many people, it is financially burdensome to have most of their nest egg tied up in a pile of 2 X 4s that generates no income. In fact, the heap generates negative income in the form of property taxes and repairs, even if you are wise enough to resist the addiction of home improvement.
Furthermore, most places in North America only have two months of decent weather per year. So your good life in sticks-and-bricks must take place indoors. Now think again of the bark park.
For the rest of this series I'll restrict the discussion to different models of the Traveling good life...
Some people think that doing their homework about retirement consists of talking to investment "advisers" or reading glossie rags about "America's Top Ten Undiscovered Retirement Dream Towns." Or perhaps one half of the soon-to-be-retired couple has fallen under the evil sway of the cant of travel blog escapism. I'd like to suggest a faster and more effective approach to your homework: regardless of your pet situation, find a nice bench at the local "bark park." Just sit there and observe and think about the Big Picture.
Isn't it obvious that you are watching dogs enjoying the 'good life?' There is nothing subtle about a happy dog. Should the situation be that different for another species of social animals, such as homo sapiens? Oh certainly, homo sapiens is long past its hunter-gather lifestyle.
First our animal species adopted the dreary routines of settled, neolithic agriculture. The donkey model has gone through a drastic change during the last couple generations, as we coalesced into giant metropolitan areas. Now our model is that of an over-regulated and over-populated termite colony. Who knows what the next upward leap in evolution will bring us to. (Amoeba, perhaps?) But none of this has changed the hardware and firmware of the human brain or body.
Why did I even include 'in Retirement' in the title of this post? Can't stick-and-brick-bound rat-racers also live the Good Life? They can to some extent at least, but their lives are constrained by a thousand and one "necessities."
A retiree could certainly live the Good Life in a pile of sticks-and-bricks: hobbies such as gardening, community organizations, etc. That's what I first thought about. I abandoned the idea up because I admitted that I was a home-improvement junkie. Also, for many people, it is financially burdensome to have most of their nest egg tied up in a pile of 2 X 4s that generates no income. In fact, the heap generates negative income in the form of property taxes and repairs, even if you are wise enough to resist the addiction of home improvement.
Furthermore, most places in North America only have two months of decent weather per year. So your good life in sticks-and-bricks must take place indoors. Now think again of the bark park.
For the rest of this series I'll restrict the discussion to different models of the Traveling good life...
Comments
In retirement, we get to choose more of our own path. But even in a 9 to 5, one can learn to be happy with the wind, the rain, the snow present in one's life. There are plenty of canine's out there (sled dogs, herding dogs who actually herd, watch dogs, service dogs, police dogs, etc) who could teach us a lesson or two about loving and glorying in one's 9 to 5 job. If one's happiness depends on constant sunshine and blue skies, then the source of their happiness is external and he/she will ultimately be defeated for surely a bad weather day will come.
We would all be wise to strive to be more like the family dog.
I too was arguing against over-analyzing happiness -- your second sentence. Staring at the dogs in a dog park and seeing the similarities between them and us, seems like a good way to avoid over-analysis.
How can this oddity be explained? Maybe "perfect weather" becomes a symbol of the American Dream, and they insist on availing themselves of it now. I think the symbol matters more than the reality.