T-V is OUT!
Imp, does he want something to do or is this something you and others are concerned about? So many great ideas have already been mentioned by other posters. I think volunteering is one of the best suggestions. I can't imagine anyone not having hobbies. Sitting in front of the TV all day is one of the worst things a retiree can do, unless they are ill and have no choice. There is a reason so many people die in the first year of their retirement. My friend's brother in law was in great health (according to his Dr) and a week after he retired he had a heart attack and died. He had no hobbies or interests and had no idea what he was going to do with his retirement years.
Linda, in Mike's case, I'm not sure he even has a T-V! What he DOES have is a questionable marriage, a long but curious story, which in part explains his uncertainty about no longer going off everyday. His wife, Chinese-American, born in Hawaii, retains cultural mores which are, er,.......dubious, to us. Two sons from her first marriage, to a Caucasian American, both now in their early 30s. The older does work, but, like his brother, is "into" a "dark" lifestyle, centered around believe in some kind of underworld. The other son went to Hawaii several years ago with his mother, to settle her Dad's estate, who had passed away, a lot of money in property on the big island, a house very old, grandfathered, within the city limits, having no running water or sewer system. Thus, being "illegal", she could not sell it outright. Left the son there, after buying a new pickup, which remained with him, and she returned to Flagstaff, AZ, where Mike had remained. Mike's house, of course, has plumbing, but Judith prefers to continue using a bucket, which she empties out back! Weird, we think. The son in Hawaii sold her truck, but had no access to a title, so technically, it has been stolen. The son allowed a bunch of druggies to stay in the house there, which they have gutted, to sell the building materials for dope. The son threatens to return to AZ, and kill his brother, mother, and possibly Mike.
Judith is of course beside herself constantly, is older than Mike, suffers from COPD induced by the volcanic fumes she lived in all her life in Hawaii, will not go to a doctor under any circumstances. So you see, Mike has somewhat insurmountable problems, which he avoided thinking about daily while off at work. We wish we could help him, but there is little to do, and Mike is far too caring a person to become forceful given his circumstances.
Mike's only "hobby" is playing racquetball, which has become difficult due to an arthritic hip. He never did have hobby interests, but was a bookworm all his life. He is goodhearted, a warm and giving person. Sorry for the excessively long "read", perhaps it produced a few raised eyebrows, if not a good laugh! imp
