Ho’zho: Balance and Beauty

by Bill Hartford

I retired 2 years ago, and decided that retirement is an evolutionary process that occurs after the main goal of getting retired is met. Towards the end of the second year, it was feeling like I was just passing the time, and I didn’t want it to be that way.

I’m 63 and something I’ve always enjoyed is being out on the road, be it on my motorcycle or just in the car. Not necessarily going anywhere, just being down the road in the wind always seems to bring me peace. It helps that I am fortunate to live in beautiful southwestern Colorado. My pension is OK. With my wife’s help we make ends meet.

I found a little driving job just after the holidays with a local coffee business delivering goodies to their local stores around here and northern New Mexico 20 or so hours a week. It pays minimum wage but that’s ok, because it supplements my pension and allows me to drive around about 4 hours a day diggin’ on Grateful Dead satellite radio. How cool is that?

Maybe not as cool as feeding the squirrels but it makes my life feel more in balance plus it gets me a little extra $. Eventually I’ll most likely need to fine tune things some more, but that’s what life and retirement are all about, at least for me.

So yes, think of something you like, and try to do it every day. Keep life tuned and adjusted, and strive for balance and beauty, what the Navajo call "Ho’zho.

SIGN UP: Retirement Insider