Being semi-retired certainly has done wonders for my general outlook on life.

No more getting up at 4 a.m. and getting to an office at 5:30 a.m. No more going to bed before the sun goes down — even in the winter — because I have to be up so early.

No more pressure. No more stress. Life is good.

Of course, that is not to say it is without its problems. Why, just the other day I had to go buy another pair of jeans that are several, several sizes smaller than what I was wearing just months ago! Imagine — yet another smaller size. I bought a smaller shirt, too. And smaller sweat pants to wear around the house (longtime readers will remember my rule: no wearing sweat pants in public unless you are on your way to or from exercising.) My Closest Companion loves me, but nobody, not even her, needs to see my sweat pants fall down.

This last time, instead of buying the Relaxed Fit Wranglers, with all that extra room in the seat and thighs, I bought regular Wranglers, with straight legs and whatever in the seat. This does not mean the new jeans hug my butt. Dear heavens, I’ll never lose enough weight for anybody to want THAT.

I’m wondering now, when you lose a truck load of weight, does your head get smaller? What about your feet?

I’ve tried on the Stetson I was wearing last spring, before I switched to straw hats, and it feels bigger, somehow. I think it LOOKS bigger, too, but that’s probably just my imagination.

And my shoes — I’ve worn wide shoes for years, but the ones I’m wearing now seem a tad looser. Maybe they’ve just stretched. Leather tends to do that.

I went to Cabela’s, the sporting goods super store, recently, especially to get a safari jacket. Got there and they told me they were out of stock. “Unless,” said the helpful lady, “we might have something in the Bargain Cave.” So I went to the Cave, where I found ONE safari jacket, just one, and it was the size I wanted. I was meant to have it, I guess.

I got a new belt, too. Good leather belts at a reasonable price are hard to find. So many so-called leather belts start to fall apart with use. This one is great. It’s so sturdy, buckling and unbuckling it, it sounds like I’m saddling a horse, the leather squeaks so much.

But already, I’m needing a new notch in my new belt.

Gosh, it’s a lot of work, just keeping up with maintenance when you lose weight.

But there’s no stress, no pressure.