Retired Life

Retirement is one of the most anticipated events in the lives of most mature adults in this country. Of course, there are always a few who do not want to retire, either because they never developed any other interest in life, or they don’t feel financially secure, but they are a small minority. Most people look forward to retirement for reasons that range anywhere from escaping the drudgery and boredom of repetitive work, work related stress, long hours, dislike for the work environment, desire to do things that one always wanted but never had time to do, and so on. Retirement is expected to be the start of the golden years, when a couple has completed their family obligations, children are grown and out of the house, and financial resources are secure enough to indulge in all those things that had to be put off while the children were the first priority.

Ever since my retirement, the question I get asked most often is: “How is retirement?” My answer is always the same, “It is great”. I had spent six years commuting to Cleveland every Monday morning, and returning home to Monroeville on Fridays in my last job. It was a financially necessary but otherwise difficult period for the whole family, and everyone was happy when it was over. During the first two years of retirement, I continued to work part time, mostly from home, for my last employer, and a university, gradually transitioning into full retirement. It was also nice to have Sinan around during that first year, although he did not appreciate my bugging him constantly about his college application essays, and the need for maintaining good grades in his senior year in high school instead of getting afflicted with “senioritis”, the disease of slacking off after college applications were submitted.

One of my great privileges since retirement has been the pleasure of reading the morning newspaper in the morning, instead of rushing off to work at 7:30 and waiting till late evening to read it. I was also free of all the stress that comes with work. There was no longer any pressure to write research proposals in search of funding, or to conduct research work on on-going projects, prepare progress reports, final reports and presentations for sponsors, write papers for conferences and publications, although I did enjoy traveling to new places for conferences, staying in nice hotels around the world and interacting with my peers.

Everyone asks, “How do you spend your time?” Surprisingly the problem I have is just the opposite. How to find the time to do all the things I need or want to do. I have developed a new appreciation for housewives, after being thrust into the role of a house husband following retirement. I don’t mind cooking dinner, in fact I enjoy it, provided I know what to cook, and have a recipe to follow. I have become a familiar face in the local specialty food store where I buy all my fresh meat, fish, and vegetables for the chosen recipes. I even attended a few of their cooking classes in the beginning, where I was usually the only man among a group of ladies. I consider myself to be a decent cook, albeit a very slow one compared to my wife. Not only am I slower, but unlike her I’m totally incapable of multi-tasking which seems to be a uniquely feminine quality. Besides cooking, there is a host of other household tasks that require a considerable amount of my time. Then there are my leisure time activities such as reading, writing, listening to music, watching sports, news, and politics on television, practicing my golf swing at the driving range, and my favorite activity, going to the gym.

The gym I belong to is the well-equipped local establishment of a national fitness center. It has a large clientele, a microcosm of the population in this area. There are whites, blacks, and Asians, old and young, men and women, a very diverse group from all walks of life. I see a handful of Indian women, but rarely an Indian man. I have come to know a few of the people working out at the same time as I do well enough to consider them my friends. Thus we can combine working out with socializing, making the whole experience a more pleasurable one. There are some who I draw inspiration from, such as 90 year old world war II fighter pilot Bill who works out every single day, 86 year old Vern another world war II veteran, 84 year old Bob, 72 year old former colleague Bob, and several younger men and women who are regulars there, working out at about the same time as I do. They all have interesting stories to tell.

During the weekend, Semahat and I enjoy going out to dinner either by ourselves or with friends, going to movies, theaters, operas, museums, and some shopping. One other activity we both enjoy is traveling, seeing new and interesting places and people. Up to this point in my retired life, our travels have been restricted somewhat by the limited number of vacation days available to Semahat. We expect the pace to pick up after her retirement in about two years. On the whole, retirement has been a wonderful experience, and I recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone who is approaching that final milestone in his or her career.

March 2009, with Sinan. On the boat to Tortuga Island, Costarica.

November 2009. Celebrating Turkish Republic Day in Pittsburgh.

Christmas Eve, 2009 in New York City.

New Year's Eve. Ushering in 2010 with friends Omer and Meral in downtown Pittsburgh.

Spring is Here

Spring is Here!

What a difference six weeks make. In mid February, we were buried in snow, feeling gloomy and depressed, wondering if there will ever be an end to the miserable weather. Six weeks later, here we are, in beautiful sunny weather and perfect temperature, with birds all around us, not just on the bird feeder. I don’t know if their songs are just happy songs of spring or mating calls, but the sound of these birds does bring a feeling of joy. Sometimes, I step outside to see if I can identify the bird that is singing a particular tune, but they rarely linger in one spot. I hung Kaya’s birdhouse on the cherry tree next to the kitchen window, but no bird has shown any interest in building a nest in it yet. Gray, leafless tree branches are beginning to show signs of life, and will surely be full of new green leaves before long. The weeping cherry tree in front of the porch is in full blossom, as is the magnolia in the front corner. Daffodils started emerging from the ground after the snow, and now are blooming in their full splendor. They remind me of the poem “Daffodils” by the English poet Wordsworth, which I studied in the ninth grade as part of my English literature class. “Golden daffodils fluttering and dancing in the breeze” do fill the heart with joy, as Wordsworth expressed so eloquently, although we have only a few instead of ten thousand that inspired him to write the poem on an April day. In our case, we have the cherry blossoms and the magnolias to enhance the beauty of the daffodils.

Semahat has already planted a few pansies in front, but rabbits and probably chipmunks are eating parts of them. She put rabbit repellants around them, but it could be a losing battle. Time will tell. She has also planted a few peony bulbs, which will hopefully sprout out soon. I prepared one patch of ground in her vegetable garden, so she could get an early start by planting her snow peas and spinach. Days are longer and warmer now, and she is happy to be able to spend some time outside working in her garden during the weekend. I have been going to the driving range regularly to hit a few golf balls to improve my swing, so I can play golf with Sinan and Chris this summer. Semahat and I are looking forward to our trip to France in May, when we will meet up with Sinan and travel in France for ten days before returning home together. Then comes the wonderful Pittsburgh summer, and we will have with us Sheela, Chris, Kaya, and the newest arrival, Kaya’s little brother Kiran, whom we have seen only on Skype. He seems to be a chubby little baby with a quick smile. Kiran will be six months old when they get here in early July, ready to enjoy his new surroundings, and getting to know AnneAnne and Dadu for the first time. Season of renewal and hope, that’s what spring is, and I am glad it is finally here.

Weeping cherry in full blossom, with daffodils blooming on the side.

Blooming Magnolias.

Birdhouse painted blue and yellow by Kaya is set on the cherry tree next to the kitchen window. The bird feeder is still hanging there, although it is no longer stocked with food for the birds.