I consecrated my retirement to Jesus and created a routine for myself. I've always kept lists of projects, books I wanted to read, things I wanted to study. After reviewing each of these lists, I choose one item from each to focus on for the next few months. On the first day of every calendar quarter, I'd decide whether to continue with the same things or mix in something else from the list.

I stay mentally active with chess and Sudoku. For fitness, I walk on the treadmill daily and should add more exercise to that. For creativity, I make squares that my friend and I join to make blankets for charity. Our social life satisfies us and leaves plenty of time for my husband and I to have quiet days together when we watch documentaries or sermons in the afternoon and movies or hockey in the evening. I devote plenty of time and energy to developing my spiritual life through morning prayer, spiritual reading, and Mass (online or in person).

I'm never bored. I need to work on an early bed habit because there's more I want to do than my "alone time" permits. My health is excellent because I stay relatively fit and eat well. When my aging body completely betrays me, I hope to retain my cognitive ability to my dying breath.