Having been retired for almost a year now (10 months) and having decided to spend part of the year in France, I have begun to realize that routine is important in life. When you are working, your life contains a daily routine, get up, have breakfast (possibly), spend 8-10 at work and commuting, come home do your after work routine, have dinner (possibly see friends) and then go to bed. In retirement, you do not have that set routine so you have to make it for yourself. You have to figure out things to do that fill the hours.

Part of the reason I decide to spend time in France was to break the routine of work and life and try to find new avenues of life that were fulfilling and kept me interested and going. I thought that staying in Alexandria would have me missing work or not knowing what to do with myself. This turned out to be true in the time I spend in Alexandria between my first visit to Toulouse and my second. I found myself at a loss of ways to keep myself busy and engaged. I think partially it was because of the cold winter and just the lack of daylight hours as I am not good with cold weather. I did not find the ways to do routine things that made me happy.

Here in Toulouse, thought it might be boring, I have a routine for most days of the week and it gives me engagement and purpose in life. I have different things that I do every day. They might be the same every week but they vary by day. This does not mean that I do not find new things to do on those days but there ate set things.

Monday is laundry day and cleaning day. I do my laundry every Monday – necessity is part of it and I do not have that necessity to do laundry every week in Alexandria as I have more than seven days of clothes. I, also, clean the apartment on Monday. The reason I settled on Monday is that most small shops, museums, and restaurants are closed on Mondays so there it not a great deal to do a see. I still go out every Monday and do my 10k steps. I usually stop for a beer or glass of wine at one of the cafes that is open.

Tuesday and Thursday are run days. So I usually go and find a restaurant for lunch so that I have my large meal during midday and will not have to cook in the evenings. The run group is nice as it is the place that I have someone who I can speak English with and also it allows me to exercise and sometimes see parts of Toulouse that I have not walked in. It also gives me a feeling of community. Last night I met a young guy (super fast) who is Irish. He and another runner raced (and I mean raced) back to the Place de Capitole when we hit the final stretch and were told we go “run free”. Usually, we run as a group all at the same pace but very now and then, we are set free to run as fast as we want and then circle back to the group. At the end, we are free to run as fast as we want back to the Capitole. The final stretch varies in length but it is fun to see all the runner who wants to bolt for the end. This is also sometimes an obstacle course as there are pedestrians, cars, motorcycles and bicycles on the roads.

Tuesday also has the produce open air market. I buy fruits and vegetables from it. Yesterday I bought cherries for the first time. They must be coming in season as most everything sold there is seasonal. I, also, buy cheese at times when I need it. The market is about a 1.5 miles from the apartment so that helps get by daily steps in.

Wednesday is the least planned day. I do not have any really activities planned for it. I do FaceTime with a friend in the evenings when it works out for both of us. The rest is just sort of plan it by ear day. On all these days I read. I am an avid reader so I take the time to read every day.

Friday’s is dinner at Le Panache. It is one of my favorite days as I just hang out at the restaurant with the staff. I have a good meal and just enjoy the evening. During the day, I do my daily walk. On nice days whichever they are, I try to read on the step along the Garonne or in one of the many parks.

Saturday has become the more explore day. Find things around the city to see or do. There were more in the fall than this spring but there are still things to see. In the evening, I have dinner at Le Petit Marais. A more traditional restaurant than Le Panache. Also, very small and generally only one person works there and speaks English so he is fun to talk to.

Sunday is the busy day. Get up and have breakfast, then head to St. Aubin’s for the open air market. It is always lively and fun to wander and buy food and vegetables. After that I go to the Victor Hugo market to get seafood and other protein for my weekly meals and usually splurge on a chocalatine. The next activity is church at St. Aubin’s or the Anglican Church when they have services. I do like the religious experience and worshipping in a 11th century structure brings the continuity of the church universal home. In the late afternoon or evenings, I do a run.

I do miss the social interactions with my friends but I like the lifestyle and the rhythm of life that I have built in Toulouse. Once I return to Alexandria this summer, I am going to have to work on finding a similar rhythm and routine.