Living life to the fullest in the midst of being responsible...

One thought I've had more times than I should this past week has been... when I retire/when I have my bills paid/ when *this happens*/ when *that happens*. I think part of the thought process has been looking at colleagues that are moving to retirement from teaching, changing locations, and even considering how Dad's life has changed as he has lightened what his days look like (he still drives bus, but no longer works as a hired contractor... he's still building their house, though!). Another part of the thought process is probably influenced by my upcoming birthday and the unofficial bucket list that I didn't know I had/am subconsciously planned for that birthday. Sidenote: The culmination of having friends/family that are available at a house on the beach is very exciting :) as well as some other possibilities for the year... and because I like to plan I know where I would like to spend my birthday 5 years later. 

I like looking at what I want to do when life "slows" down, but realized that I should intersperse some of the enjoyable norms of the "whens" now. If I want to travel... find a way to travel within the budget I have-- if I want to go somewhere extravagant save from extra left after bills. If I want to spend time with friends... find simple ways to invest in those friendships now-- not having to wait for breaks/vacation time. Those two can also be connected: I received an one-man tent last summer and want to go hiking... realized that's best done with friends and have some road-trips in mind when time/friends are available. 

This past weekend, because of some of the constraints in my life it limited some of what I was able to do... and yet I feel that I found a way to see some friends that I haven't seen in ~4 years! It was nice to not have anything extravagantly planned and yet the simple was extravagant. I really felt blessed/energized by having authentic conversations about life and catching up on how they have grown since I've seen them. One of the friends lives 4 hours away and reminds me that it's nice to have a change of scenery and that I can survive making a day trip of it (from the time I left my house and left their place that was a little over 24 hours from each other). With that being said... I wake up to teach in about 5 hours... may need more coffee than usual, but I'm optimistic that the time I took for myself was well invested and helps balance the work life.