Going Green
By Jim Bona
(Hamilton, NY – Dec. 2014) Since retiring, I have been spending my days at home, which is wonderful. Answering the myriad questions: mostly “what do you do????” is always fun. I get creative and invent all kinds of answers. (I have realized that many people tend to see a person by what their job is. The equation: “no job = no worth” is widely prevalent. Is there a prejudice that not having a job means you are not productive)?
I guess when you don’t have a job people think, for some strange reason, you have nothing to do. Even though I am not at work anymore, I am still working; just not working for The Man. And not getting paid for it, either. There is plenty to do and that’s the problem.
Whatever it is that I am working on it is usually expending some type of energy. It could be electrical current, water of both the hot and cold varieties, and even some propane gas. (No television for me, thank you very much). In the words of Carlos Santana’s song, “Evil Ways,” my house is dark and my pots are cold. NOT! Instead of using the job’s electricity, heat, and water, I am home, using my own…and paying for it. (That is another aspect of retirement that I am realizing: there is plenty of time to spend money, which is not good).
The quest for lower power consumption is ever present in my mind. It is going to be tough to keep to pre-retirement levels, but it is a challenge that I have accepted. Being home to throw wood on the fire all day is going to result in a warmer house, but will also result in more wood being burned. I am going to have to understand that there is a higher level of consumption being home all the time. Maybe I have to get out more. Either that, or sit around and do more of nothing.
Jim Bona is recently retired and a resident of the village of Hamilton for more than 30 years. He is passionate about all things green…and a few other things too. He can be reached at: madnews@m3pmedia.com.