What’s something you keep telling yourself you’ll do when you retire, or when you “have the time”?

A recurrent phrase I’m hearing from people of all ages these days is “If not now…when?” The key to this month’s question is the aspect of “having the time.” Are you booking time on your schedule beyond work that creates rewarding results?

In this column, adopted from the familiar “Heard on the Street” format, we offer our responders a chance to answer the question posed in the title. These are their replies reported verbatim.

WHEN YOU “HAVE THE TIME”

When the time comes to finally retire, I keep telling myself I will have a plan in advance on how to invest my time. A plan to stay physically and mentally active so I feel as productive in retirement as I do now in my work life. Also, reenergize around the things outside work I enjoy more like play guitar more (I torture the guitar really), read and travel more, bring out the toys that I don’t’ have enough time for now like my golf clubs and Harleys. I have been involved with a number of law enforcement not-for-profit entities in my community for almost 20 years now, I would have to find more time to dedicate to giving back.

Boyd H. McGathey

Energy Distribution Partners

Parkville, Missouri

As someone with a busy work schedule, a family, (and all that goes along with it), I keep telling myself that I’m going to travel. You know, “when things settle down”.  However, I have not planned a trip for myself in a long while.  And yet, if I am fortunate enough to take some time away and experience new places and things, I am always reminded of the value in it.  This is your sign, (yours and mine) to take that trip, pack those bags, and get out of town for a little while!

Jessica Johnson

ThompsonGas

Asheville, North Carolina

Wow, where do I begin?! I can think of so many things, but one thing I keep wanting to do is digitize the family photos and movies that I took when the family was young. I remember it was a treat when I was a kid and my dad took the movie projector out periodically to show the family those old Super 8 movies he took as we were growing up. We had a blast watching those and the “Uncle Bill” (W.C. Fields) cuts that he would throw on as well.

Bruce Swiecicki

National Propane Gas Association

 Tinley Park, Illinois

I hope to slow down a bit, maybe in a couple years, maybe three – four – sometime :) Anyway, when I do, I’d like to travel and see more of our beautiful country. Not by electric car though—I don’t have that much time!!!!

Judy Taranovich

Proctor Gas

Proctor, Vermont

Buy a Bass Boat, go to the Lake, and leave my cell phone in the truck.  I already have my eye on the boat but there are not many available due to supply chain shortages. I will have one before the end of the year.

Chuck Kinnie

 Shasta Gas Propane

Shasta, California

Vacation in Italy.  I have never been and desperately want to go.  Every year, I say “next year I will book it”.

Julie Johnson

Ted Johnson Propane

 Baldwin Park, California

Read more books.

Don Montroy

Bergquist, Inc.

Rockford, Michigan

When I retire, I say that I am going to become a loss doula. A loss doula supports families who are experiencing or expected to experience loss of their baby. I love birth and supporting birthing mothers is something I always thought would be a hard but rewarding work. After Chaz was born and died, I learned about the role of a loss doula and have been saying it’s my retirement plan ever since. I do hope to support my community in this way some day.

Lauren Clark

Bergquist

Toledo, Ohio

My wife and I recently became empty nesters. We love to travel together and aspire to travel frequently while we are “young.” We’ve been fortunate to have some really great trips in the first half of 2022. Hopefully the second half of the year is as fun as the first half. If you haven’t had an opportunity to travel with your spouse I strongly suggest doing so, it does wonders for your soul as an individual and a couple.

Jason Soulon

Westmor Industries

Shawnee, Kansas

One thing I have been meaning to do when I have more time is clean out my file cabinets and reorganize my paperwork.  Or wait, do I first declutter my house in preparation for downsizing?  Or, what about all those books I have put aside to read later?  And, then there all of my grandkids sporting events I want to attend.  Not to mention those vacations I still want to take.  Gosh, I need to retire!!

Rosie Buschur

McMahan’s Bottle Gas

Dayton, Ohio

Plan leisure travel in the United States to see our natural wonders.

Jerry Schimmel

P3 Propane Safety

 Cumberland, Rhode Island

I have a list….
Relax, Read, Golf more, Play piano more, Play more pickleball, More time with friends, more time with grandchildren.

Susan Peterson

Rural Computer Consultants

Bird Island, Minnesota

The thing that I keep telling myself I will do when I retire is relax. I keep saying that I will slow down with life. After all the hustle and bustle that is daily life, relaxing on the beach or a simple stroll around a flea market sure sounds like a good plan to me. Basically, anything that adds enjoyment to life. Yes, that is the plan.

Jon Shepard

VK Inspections LLC

Mercer, Pennsylvania

That’s easy!  READ!  Reading can be dangerous for me.  I will stay up until 3am reading a good book…and that next day is a killer.  I try to save good books for vacation but even that is hard…but look out retirement!

Tonya Crow

GROWMARK, Inc.

Bloomington, Illinois

MAKING THE TIME

Several respondents mentioned that they liked this question. Clearly it was more fun for them to dream of what to do with free time than to answer last month’s question about how to deal with stress. In our complex world, handling both work and free time requires selectivity and prioritization. It also requires saying YES to something new.

Nancy Coop, Cetane Associates

This column was first published in Butane-Propane News in August 2022.