The Retirement Newsletter: Awareness and Boats

Issue Number: -25 — Am I becoming more aware?

Photo by Author — Going into a tunnel on my boating course — a metaphor for approaching retirement? What lies beyond?

Welcome

Welcome to issue -25.

This week, Awareness and Boats, a little reflective bit and more on my trip to Myanmar (Burma).

Awareness

As I age, I seem to become more aware of the world around me. And I have really noticed this in the last few years.

Is this something we all do as we age, or is it just me?

I have always considered myself an ‘aware’ person because, as a scientist, I have an inbuilt curiosity about life and things around me. But recently, I seem more aware.

I now find that I notice noises more, the changing of the seasons, the change in the daylight hours, et cetera. I have become more aware of the passage of time.

I used to be able to sleep through anything, but now the slightest noise wakes me up. And whereas in the past, I could sleep in a room with the thinnest of curtains, I now need black-out blinds to block out the early sunrise. Winters are much easier when the sun gets up at a reasonable hour.

I used to be able to ‘sleep for England’ (according to my dad), and now if I stay in bed much beyond 7 am, I get a headache. And bedtime…