One step at a time

When I go to Whole Foods for my daily salad, someone always yells something from their car like, "Congratulations, Bill! Well deserved! But what are you going to do with all of your time?”

Right now it just feels like a long vacation. Except on vacation I rarely lose track of what day it is. When you’re retired, every day feels like Saturday. It really does!

I’m still getting up early. My biological clock hasn’t adjusted to my new life. I rarely sleep in past 5 a.m. I will always be a news junkie, and I begin my day with a strong dose of news. Then I take a long walk. The birds talk to me every day on my walk. I could have sworn I heard a bird call last week that sounded just like “faster, faster!”

Long solitary walks are great for thinking. I solve a lot of problems on the sidewalks and greenways. Morning and evening walks are also good for generating creative ideas. My wife Cindy gave me the perfect walking companion as a retirement gift – an Apple Watch. Mostly, I use it to track steps and monitor heart rate. I had a Fit Bit but became frustrated with battery problems.

I’m shooting for 20,000 steps every day. That’s about ten miles. So far my feet are holding up. I wear really good shoes. I’m always on the look out for WRAL’s Jay Jennings. He walks all the time as well. The veteran videographer has popped up on my evening walk five days in a row now.

I carry my iPhone on walks and use its camera to capture something pretty or unusual. It might be a foggy lake or a sunburst through the forest or golden morning light bathing a crepe myrtle. I try to be open to the moment, looking for the extraordinary in the ordinary or the sacred in the mundane.

That includes delightful and insightful conversations with people I meet along the way. One gentleman told me, "Retirement will unlock your hidden skills and talents.” He went on to explain his new passion for woodworking.

Eventually, I will get back to running, but right now I really enjoy the cerebral adventure of walking. Maybe the inspiration comes from my nephew Matt Green. Matt is the subject of a new documentary called “The World Before Your Feet." It’s about Matt’s quixotic quest to walk every street of New York City. He has logged nearly 9,000 miles so far. Before the Big Apple odyssey, Matt walked across America. I saw the documentary at a recent film festival in Winston-Salem. I know I am biased, but the movie is terrific.

In coming days I will blog more about retirement. I’ll talk about grandchildren, my interview on a popular podcast, jaunts to the mountains, ACC basketball, a special train ride and eating a famous hamburger.

Next time I’ve got a great story about gratitude and the heartwarming letter I received from the wife of a late television anchorman.