Cat Tales and Pussy Willows
by Ripley
(Retirement Community)
My cat has no problem with retirement. In fact, he retires most of the day, taking catnaps wherever and whenever he feels like it. He does not suffer from any kind of guilt about retiring early. He pays no attention to calendars or clocks except when he decides that they are interesting items to play with or to push off my desk.
The fact that he is inactive most of the time does not make him completely useless or lazy. He participates in worthwhile activities on a regular basis in between his snoozing sessions.
He nudges me to actively engage in his daily yoga practice so that I don't stare at a computer screen all day. He has already mastered the cat stretch and other more agile poses which I have yet to become proficient at.
He also plays an active role in my daily grooming and hygiene routine. He licks my skin until he is satisfied that I no longer harbor any dirt or dust which might rub off on him and then he showers me with kitty kisses until I'm absolutely squeaky clean. He firmly believes that retirement is not a good enough reason to stop caring about certain things or to let yourself go.
He is overall, quite easy-going although he does roll his eyes when I converse with him in baby talk or call him cutesy names like monkey butt, napsack or lazyboy recliner. Lucky for me, he is very forgiving.
He doesn't expect exotic vacations in order to feel satisfied or to bring excitement into his life. In fact, he is not fond of road trips at all and he prefers the comfortable boundaries of a "one size fits all" shoe box. He especially appreciates it when that shoe box is embellished with colorful, crinkled wrapping paper.
In conclusion I would have to say that adjusting to retirement is not as difficult as I thought it would be. Of course it becomes a lot easier when you stop hanging out with that computer mouse and develop a healthy relationship with a savvy cat instead.
