Having stopped spending time being paid to do things has me thinking a lot about my “free” time and how I’m investing it in my fitness goals as well as helping others.

Working out

Gym memberships and classes are times when we pay others so we can protect our unpaid time to invest in our well-being and fitness. It’s something many of the bloggers and readers can identify with, ensuring we dedicate time to our fitness and well-being.

In relationships with partners, parents, children and friends the uneven burden of care still exists with women and femme folks shouldering most of the work.

Logistics of Longevity

From booking of medical and dental appointments to tracking how much extended benefit coverage is left for a massage or physiotherapy for the family, it’s often women doing that work in our unpaid time.

Sometimes my support of our family’s fitness goals looks like running to the bike shop each week getting tire irons, tubes, and yet another pair of gloves. Where are the gloves going?

Other times it is meal planning, groceries, sharing garden bounty with friends and preserving food.

It is also sorting through piles of mismatched socks. Sam introduced me to The Annual Mating of the Socks one year and I continue to do it each fall. It’s the time of year when I reach for socks and can’t find them.

In spring, I can never find my cycling gloves. Just one, lonely white light weight cycling glove sitting among the pile of larger, black, heavy duty ones Michel favours.

Health and Philanthropy

Twenty years ago I remember organizing the Canadian Cancer Society door to door campaign. This fundraising was built on the availability of women in rural communities organizing their neighbourhoods into teams. A team captain, often a woman who also ran the women’s auxiliary at the legion, the church fundraisers as well as Heart and Stroke, Diabetes Canada and our daffodil days fundraisers.

These women organized and collected millions of dollars, often $5 at a time. They would dutifully write out each paper receipt, balance books, and provide reporting. It was a lot. As more women needed to work off the farm or outside of the home they no longer had the unpaid time to organize door to door campaigns. Besides, no one was home to answer the door anymore. So these vital fundraising campaigns gave way to other means of gathering funds.

Where my “free” time goes

In the fourth week of my retirement I’ve helped a friend in her garden, driven another to a medical appointment, and had a doctor’s appointment for myself. I provided support to both of my adult childeren who are going through all the things people in their mid to late 20s go through.

I did find time for cycling Sunday, Friday and this morning. My daily dog walks with Michel continue to ensure I get lots of movement in my day.

I hosted my writing friends and we are ensuring we stay focused on getting more writing done. I’m pretty sure blog posts count.

Family Matters

Tomorrow I’m packing my bag to head to New Brunswick for my grandmother’s interment and visit with my parents. My kids are joining me. While down east I am going to ask that someone have a marriage or a baby so I can have a happy excuse to travel rather than another sad one.

I am only able to go see my family because I am retired. Otherwise, I would have already used up most of my vacation. It is the point of having more unpaid time, to be there for my family.

I’m still working on finding the balance between my needs and everyone else’s. My friend Net reassured me that after a few months I will find a more sustainable pace in retirement. I hope she’s right!