In less than twelve years, my life has changed completely. As well as moving away from London for the first time, I also developed a love of daily routine that changed my entire outlook on life. Recently, I was thinking of some examples that illustrate those changes.
Me, previously.
“It’s not even midnight yet. I’m sure we could find a club still open somewhere. Then we can walk home over Waterloo Bridge and watch the sunrise”.
Me now.
It’s nearly midnight? I can’t believe I have stayed up so late! Time I was tucked up in bed”.
Me, previously.
“Let’s go for a drive somewhere. Doesn’t matter where, just head for the south coast and see where we end up. Maybe go to Rye, or down to Bexhill”.
Me now.
“Out for a drive? Nah. Parking will be a nightmare when we get anywhere, and I might have to drive home after dark”.
Me, previously.
“We could go into the city. Have a look at the sights, then have a nice meal out later”.
Me now.
“The City? Too crowded, and too much hassle to get buses back late in the evening”.
Me, previously.
“I can’t go out to eat without wearing a suit and tie. I don’t care about everyone else, I like to look smart on social occasions”.
Me now.
“I’m not dressing up to eat out in Dereham. Nobody does, and I will look stupid if I do”.
Me, previously.
“I have to go and see that new film. I’ll walk down to Leicester Square tomorrow and catch the late afternoon showing”.
Me now.
“The local cinema will never be showing that, and I can’t be bothered to trek into Norwich. I’ll wait until the DVD comes out”.
Me, previously.
“Let’s try that new coffee place that has opened in Covent Garden. We can get a table outside if we are lucky”.
Me now.
“No way am I going to pay almost four quid for a cup of coffee when I can have one at home for nothing”.
Me, previously.
“Let’s do a weekend away. Maybe a nice village in the Cotswolds, or a hotel by the beach in Sussex”.
Me now.
“No need to go and stay in a village when you already live in one. Besides, who will look after Ollie?”
And many more…
Oh oh, you’ve changed into my uncle! We used to laugh about my friend’s aunt who couldn’t go to family reunion because that was her Sainsbury day! You have said your life didn’t change much with Covid, but for a lot of people I think it propelled them into that way of thinking. After everything else that’s happened in the past few years I panic when going out is suggested, working out how to avoid an outing and stay cosily home.
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Covid didn’t affect my life, because my routine was already firmly established before it became an issue. But I agree that staying at home affected many people, and they found it too difficult to return to their old lives.
Thanks very much for your comment.
Best wishes, Pete.
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As we get older, most of us slow down!
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Yes, it was a combination of age and less stress that really calmed me down.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Very good
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Haha! That’s exactly how I feel. Best to you, Pete.
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Glad to hear we are in the same club, Jennie.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Oh yes, we are. 🙂
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Lol, sounds too familiar 🙂
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I’m glad to know I am not alone. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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🙂
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😀 ROFL, Pete! You sound like me!
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It is nice to settle into a life with less stress and more routine. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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That was very amusing.
Yes, although I’m not retired yet, I feel the same way about a number of things. No matter what we do or don’t do, the main thing is that we are satisfied.
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I find retirement very satisfying, Irene. I worry occasionally about living on a fixed income from my pensions, but I lead a more peaceful life, with much less daily stress.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Yes, I think you’re happier when you get older and don’t need to buy as many new things. Also, I won’t need the car as often. That saves fuel money.
I don’t want to worry too much now. Everything will work out somehow. I hope!
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I’ve lived in cities over the years and never felt settled. Rural Cornwall is definitely more for me. I can relate to so many of your me now and thens! Have a wonderful weekend, Pete 💕🙂
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Thanks, Harmony. A peaceful life suits me very well. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete. x
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Oh my word – I recognise every one of those!
There was a time I would not have been caught indoors on a Friday night. Now, my fave thing is a nice dinner, glass of wine, and a chill!
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You are talking my language, WWW. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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The good old days of our youth make for wonderful memories when we get older. 🙂 I’m still a nighthawk, but am happy with the slower pace of retirement (and not having to get up at the crack of dawn).
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Not having to get up early (unless you choose to) is one of the joys of retirement, I agree. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I hope you don’t regret to became wiser, Pete! 😉 Or you will need a younger girlfriend, like so many elder men. Best wishes, Michael
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I have a younger wife, Michael. Job done!
Best wishes, Pete.
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Reblogged this on NEW BLOG HERE >> https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
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Haha, Pete, you and my dad have a lot in common. My dad is only two years older than you and 11 years younger than my mom although you would never guess he is younger. My mom is an energizer bunny.
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Women do tend to be livelier, in my experience. 🙂
(But not all of them…)
Best wishes, Pete.
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I played music until the wee hours. Now, my daughter knows better than to text me about will I watch the grand dog after prone-thity.
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I’m struggling with ‘prone-thity’, Phil. Is that an Americanism?
Best wishes, Pete.
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A dad/daughter ism. Like “I need to get home. It’s after prone-thirty.” Also, late, tired “It’s time to get prone.” That is, get horizontal, go to bed etc.
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Completely new to me, but thanks for the explanation.
Best wishes, Pete.
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It is almost as if one is exchanging one set of preferences and habits for another. Warmest regards, Ed
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Yes indeed. Exchanging a rather hectic life for a peaceful and contemplative one. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Definitely a getting older thing, Pete The simpler things in life appeal more now…..and as for going abroad, too difficult!
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Travel seems to be such a faff these days. I have actually stopped thinking about airports and foreign destinations. I don’t even have a valid passport since my last one expired in 2016.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Yes, you’re right!
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Me, previously.
“Man, I need to go on a hike!”
Me now.
“Man, I need to go on a hike!”
Me, in the future:
“Man, I need to go on a hike!”
Me, after death:
“Man, I need to go on a hike!”
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I have known you for almost 10 years now, and you certainly love to hike! Well done for not changing as you got older, David. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Me, previously
I can recite every right-hand turn along the Euston/Marylebone Roads.
Me, now
I wouldn’t drive in London, let alone trying to remember all the restrictions.
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I am confident that it would all come back to you in a heartbeat, David. Don’t sell yourself short!
Best wishes, Pete.
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It sounds like you’ve settled into country life well.
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It took a while when I still felt as if I was on holiday, but for the last 8 years I have become fully integrated, Molly. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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It’s amazing how our routines change over the years. I used to go out after dinner with friends and now I’m like it’s too late and put on my pyjamas 😂
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When you stay in your pyjamas all day, then you will have reached my level, Christy. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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My befores may be different than yours but my afters are looking quite similar!
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Glad to hear it, Susanne. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I am transitioning. My kids keep me hopping, or I would become a recluse and listen to the silence.
I am glad you are happy.
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Thank you, dear Cindy. The simpler things in life appeal to me more now.
Best wishes, Pete. x
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I still like both. 😉
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Love these examples!
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Thanks, John. I have others, but these were the best ones for a ‘family-friendly’ blog. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Ah, the practicality of growing old.
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Practical things become more acceptable as we age, no doubt about that, Don.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Sounds quite familiar!
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I am embracing the change, Carolyn.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I often think about what I used to do and ask myself “who was that person?”
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Cheers to the changes.
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Thanks, Peggy. I have got used to them now.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I’d be the same – something to do with growing older I think.
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And having already ‘done all that’ in the past, I think.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Yes. Now I can’t be bothered.
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Your “then and nows” sound very familiar to me!
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Glad to hear that, Liz.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Those changes are looking more like me than anything I have seen lately.
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I’m catching you up fast, John.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I suppose we’re all destined to have these memories, Pete.
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We can make new ones in retirement, GP. Mostly less stressful ones too. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I truly enjoy retirement…..I tire thinking about my life before…..and MoMo is always a major thought. I love retirement! chuq
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Me too, chuq. I don’t miss being so busy and stressed, that’s for sure.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Doing nothing but what I want to do….now that is living….LOL chuq
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Is it a sign of age you think? Or that those of us who have lived full lives are happier to just be in the moment. Not so many years ago we used to have four holidays a year, two overseas (usually connected to a work conference) and two in the UK. Now we barely go 30 miles! Eating out was a once a week treat, now it’s too expensive, even takeaway fish and chips is over £15. I’d quite like to travel more, but the thought of it makes me tired! Time to put the slippers on…
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My slippers have been on for a long time now, Jude. 🙂
The thought of all the airport hassle to travel abroad makes me shudder. Unless I win the lottery and can afford chauffeurs and First-Class air tickets, I doubt I will leave the UK again. Julie feels much the same, and she is a lot younger than me.
Best wishes, Pete. x
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Very well put, Pete. Nicely expressed. We go from being part of life to preferring to watch life quietly from the sidelines. A matter of accepting a different set of priorities. Rather than indulge in life we now prefer living the memories of when we did that. What’s new for me is something I may see or do triggers an odd memory I thought was long forgotten. I’ve turned into my grandfather… “Yep, I remember back in the day…. ….”
Not sure if all that makes me happy, but it certainly makes me more complacent.
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I have been making new memories since living in the countryside, Doug. But they are quieter, more peaceful times to recall.
Best wishes, Pete.
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How true – especially the bit about the cup of coffee. Our new coffee shop always has mums with push chairs outside. I think it is just to be sociable. Winter will put a stop to that – there’s not much room inside! We can’t stay out for long unless we use a convenience. It’s miserable being old.However we are lucky to have our warm comfortable bungalow so we drink our coffee here!
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Glad you can relate to this post, Julie. I am becoming more of a ‘home bird’ as I get older, with less and less desire to venture out of the village.
Best wishes, Pete.
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it’s funny how that just happens over time, the desire for a simpler, quieter life is natural, I think. let the stress and ‘busy’ all go
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Exactly that, Beth. Quiet contemplation suits me just fine these days.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Still going as normal here, but also still working. I am hoping things will slow down when I retire!
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They certainly slowed down for me, and double-slowed once I turned 70. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I think that’s entirely normal, Pete, without wanting to get philosophical 😉 As long as you’re happy with your new lifestyle, that’s all that matters! Cheers, Jon.
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Yes, I am happy living a very quiet life. In fact it makes me wonder how I coped with always being so busy in London. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Totally with you Pete. I used to go to bed late and wake up late, now I’m awake around 6 and tucked up in bed by 10 with a cup of chamomile
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I was such a night-owl at one time. Now I sit wondering if 10pm is too early to go to bed. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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all so true. I look back on my diary of my time in London and can’t believe what I packed into one day. The number 9 bus was my 2nd home. Wonderful memories – and sadly, that is all we have now Pete.
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Making new memories in the countryside is good too, Gavin.
Best wishes, Pete.
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