Whoa, what a ride! 2020 took us (and our generation) by storm and tried to beat us down, tried to take away dreams of sandy beaches and pig roasts, holiday get-togethers and family celebrations. But boy-howdy, we are showing COVID-19 what for! Our generation has been through the ringer and back, but we persevere. We stand strong. We survive and then we retired dudes keep on going.
A while back a friend shared this with us. We thought you might get a kick out of it. Putting things into perspective with humor…
• Why did the chicken cross the road? Because the chicken behind it didn’t know how to socially distance properly.
• Two grandmothers were bragging about their precious darlings. One of them says to the other, “Mine are so good at social distancing, they won’t even call me.”
• Who’s idea was it to sing “Happy Birthday” while washing your hands? Now every time I go to the bathroom, my kids expect me to walk out with a cake.
• My husband purchased a world map and then gave me a dart and said, “Throw this and wherever it lands—that’s where I’m taking you when this pandemic ends.” Turns out, we’re spending two weeks behind the fridge.
• Ran out of toilet paper and started using lettuce leaves. Today was just the tip of the iceberg, tomorrow romaines to be seen.
• My mom always told me I wouldn’t accomplish anything by lying in bed all day. But look at me now, ma! I’m saving the world!
• After years of wanting to thoroughly clean my house but lacking the time, this week I discovered that wasn’t the reason.
• If I keep stress-eating at this level, the buttons on my shirt will start socially distancing from each other.
• Every few days try your jeans on just to make sure they fit. Pajamas will have you believe all is well in the kingdom.
• Yesterday I ran out of soap and body wash and all I could find was dish detergent. Then it Dawned on me.
• Being quarantined with a talkative child is like having an insane parrot glued to your shoulder
• I never thought the comment “I wouldn’t touch them with a six-foot pole” would become a national policy, but here we are!
• The World Health Organization announced that dogs cannot contract COVID-19. Dogs previously held in quarantine can now be released. To be clear, WHO let the dogs out.
• Since we’re all in quarantine I guess we’ll be making only inside jokes from now on.
• I’m not talking to myself, I’m having a parent-teacher conference.
• This morning I saw a neighbor talking to her cat. It was obvious she thought her cat understood her. I came into my house, told my dog–we laughed a lot.
• Day 121 at home and the dog is looking at me like, “See? This is why I chew the furniture!”
If we can’t laugh about it, well, let’s just laugh about it. Since 2020 didn’t bring many of us new adventure, great vacations, travel or excitement, we’re talking about the stuff we’ve always talked about-our H.A.R.D. Gear! It’s gotten us through good times and bad. Some of our best friends have been made because of our H.A.R.D. products, and some of our best memories are from our H.A.R.D. travels. Half-Ass Retired Dude means more to us than quality clothes, great slogans, awesome shirts, and swag. It means our friends and families, opportunities, community, kindred spirits, fellow retirees, dreams, goals, laughter and so much more. And seriously, if you can’t find humor with your “people”, who do you find it with?!
We didn’t travel to shows this past year, and you know why. We missed you! We missed the great days of starting off as acquaintances ending up friends. We missed the opportunities to meet the new faces and reminisce with the old. We missed so much, but with that, we’re so excited for 2021! It sounds like we’ll be able to get back out on the road, traveling to different shows and meeting up with long-time buddies. Being retired, or semi-retired gives us some flexibility in our schedules, and that means we can spend more time doing what we truly love-sharing our passion of living H.A.R.D., spending time with old and new friends, talking tricks of the trade and swapping stories with so many of you.
Stay in touch with us. Let us know where you’re going to travel to when the bans are all lifted. Follow us on Facebook so you can see where we’re headed next. Check out our merchandise and let us know your favorite designs. Let us know how you’ve held up this year and share any jokes you’ve got.
The H.A.R.D. apparel line, HARD-Wears, made its debut in Daytona Beach, FL. And for the classy, beautiful women, the ones you dream about, a Dame’s apparel line is also in the works. But we are about more than just looking good. H.A.R.D. is a mindset, an attitude. A lifestyle that asks, reflects and answers HARD questions…
The creation of Half Ass Retired Dude was initially geared towards the Baby Boomer generation – the 78 million people born from 1946 to 1964. These are people in early retirement or those who will be retiring in the near future. However, as we began to ask these questions of ourselves, we realized we shouldn’t just target people our age. H.A.R.D. does not advocate quitting your job, but it encourages you to evaluate what you want and need. In most cases it just asks you to look at life differently. This is also something you shouldn’t do alone. Before making any hasty decisions, seek some advice, get a mentor, pray. A wise person always seeks counsel. Learn more about H.A.R.D. at https://www.hard-wears.com/ or contact us at https://www.hard-wears.com/contact/.
