| Devorah, After he retires, will your husband have each and every hour of each and every day crammed full of stuff to do? After a short while of running around kicking up their heels and getting a lot of the stuff done that they'd been looking forward for years to doing ... ... some freshly-minted retirees ... ... sit around and get bored. Some wives get fed up (well, frustrated) with hubs spending quite a lot of time around the house. They were used to having the house to themselves (for most of the day). When I talked to folks in seminars about retirement, I suggested that some men, used to being involved in many things, take to following their wives about the house, suggesting that if she were to do such and such a task in a little different way, it would be easier, take less time, be more efficient, etc. But that it might not be a god idea to follow that practice if there were a gun in the house. Or a baseball bat. Also said that Tom retired one day, and next morning was sitting in his favourite chair, reading the paper. After a few minutes, he put the paper down and looked around. Picked it up again and read a while longer, then put it down again and looked around. After about five times of this, Marje says, "Something wrong"? "Where's breakfast?", asks Tom. Marje replies, "You retired yesterday, didn't you?" "Yes," says Tom, "What's that got to do with anything?" "So did I", says Marje, sweetly. After Tom contemplates that answer for a moment or two, Marje continues, "I'll tell you what - I'll get breakfast now, and after breakfast is over, we'll sit down to discuss who's going to do what around here. How does that grab you?" We don't have record of Tom's reply. But this story seemed to receive a more positive response from the female portion of the audience than from their counterparts. Are there some interests of his in which you might develop an interest? Some of yours that might interest him, when he has more time on his hands? Perhaps you can develop some new paths that might be of interest to you both, when he isn't burdened by work any longer. Paid employment, that is - I realize that he's not the only one that works around your house, now. Good wishes to you both for a blessed New Year. ole joyful | 
