DayOne and the Bumlife

Here are some things I learned during my 3 weeks in between jobs this year.

1.  It is really exciting and exhilarating to have every day feel like a Saturday.
The sheer joy of waking up and knowing you don't have to be anywhere anytime soon is blissful beyond belief.

2.  The hours run faster.  Not really but it feels like it.  Lunch time comes sooner than when I was in a cubicle farm.  Then, all of a sudden, it starts getting dark and its dinner time.

3.  My "golden hours" are 6:00am to 10:00am.  Ever since the ocean poisoned my mind with waves, my early mornings were spent in her embrace.  My day officially begins after that and then my stupid brain tells me that I need to do something productive before the day is over.

4.  Solitude allows your brain to think in an uninterrupted flow.  So many of my working hours were spent managing interruptions and occasionally accommodating them in a bid to be "helpful".

5.  This may sound contradictory to the previous point but my best day was when my lovely wife Smita took a day off to hang out with me.  Sharing this joy, bliss and temporary timelessness with her was really special.

6.  There is a satiety and sense of accomplishment when finishing off projects big and small that I had sidelined for quite a while.  Here is the short version of my honey-do-list.

Car service
Fixed toilet
Filing old and new paperwork
Cleaning out the garage
Cleaning and repairing windows and blinds
Installing  exterior motion detection lights
Replacing satellite tv with free tv
Weeding out the flowerbeds
Mowing and fertilizing the lawn
Playing with the kids 

7.  There are a lot of folks faffing about during the day.  I wondered if they are night/graveyard shifters, retirees, unemployed or just #bumlife like me.  This made me think about how I might want to fill my "non golden hours" when I do retire.  I certainly cannot be in the ocean all day even if I could (I tried) and the honey-do-list can be checked off if one really tried.

8.  Smiling while bike riding will get you in trouble sometimes.  I made it a point to take my bike with me everyday for an afternoon beach strand ride.  I didn't realize I was smiling as I was biking along and someone actually asked "What the hell are you so smug about?"  My reply..."LIFE!!" 

10.  I was completely spent by the evening.  In my working mode, my bed never saw me before 10:30pm or even 11:30pm on somUKe days.  The bumlife introduced me to my bed at 9:00pm or 9:30pm latest. It is hard work being a bum. 

I have unlearned some things and learned others and each day felt like day one.  It is that feeling you have when you are trying something for the very first time.  I plan to take that on to the next chapter and when I feel stressed or boxed in, I can look back on the #bumlife and the many #dayones I had.  

Change and Making Memories

The second half of this year has been a whirlwind of change and making new memories.  I will let the videos do the talking this time.  Beware this is a long post.  Hopefully it makes up for the long hiatus.