I made my decision to retire almost a year ago. At the time I gave myself an arbitrary amount of time to flounder: a year. I told myself that I would take the first year to recover, to explore and to relax. As my first year anniversary approaches, I wonder if continuing to stay retired… Continue reading The Selfishness Of Retiring, The Possibility of Volunteering
Category: Emotional journey
Out Of My Control
It’s very difficult to let go of control. As a teacher, I felt the pressure to “control my class” which really meant keeping them quiet and engaged. I never quite managed the peaceful part of that. I preferred to keep my students noisy and engaged. However, there are times that I have had to acknowledge… Continue reading Out Of My Control
Letting Go Of Worries About Important Tasks
There are things that are urgent and important. I will do those immediately. But then, there are things that are not urgent but important, like taxes and medical tests. I will delay those things as long as possible. I don’t like to do them and I don’t want to face them. So, I play the… Continue reading Letting Go Of Worries About Important Tasks
Do What Scares You
It’s easy to become complacent and settle when you retire. You get pushed along by the rhythm of the day, and suddenly a week, a month and a season has rolled by. I could feel it happening to me and I didn’t like it. In an attempt to grow, I chose to do something that… Continue reading Do What Scares You
A Grey Blob Day
Waking up to see yet another grey sky on a Monday morning is not an inspiring sight. I’m an emotional dresser and I choose clothes that reflect how I’m feeling on the inside. Today, it was a grey blob. It wasn’t until a caught sight of myself in the mirror that I realized what I’d… Continue reading A Grey Blob Day
A Checklist Of Retirement Experiences
Note: This article was first published 2023/03/24. Revised. Retirement websites often distill life after retiring to a list of things that you can check off one-by-one.* From a drained, working person’s perspective, it’s an enticing list of wonderful possibilities. I’ve found that the lists vastly over-simplifies life after retiring. They make it look like an… Continue reading A Checklist Of Retirement Experiences
Growing Into A New Skin
Today is tattoo day for me. I’m getting my second tattoo and I’m nervous and excited. You might find it unexpected that a retired person should start getting tattoos. You might criticize me for getting one. Avoiding such criticism has often caused me to choose not to do something that I might otherwise have enjoyed.… Continue reading Growing Into A New Skin
The Power Of Trees
I wouldn’t describe myself as “outdoorsy,” but walking in nature has a positive effect on me. I go for daily walks with the dog but I’ve noticed there is a big difference in how I feel during and after a walk, if it’s in a natural setting. Walking along the street in my neighbourhood or… Continue reading The Power Of Trees
Frozen Decisions
I really thought that after all my life experience making decisions, I’d be better at it by now. Apparently, teachers make —- 1500 decisions per teaching day and I can believe it!* But lately simple decisions have been causing me to waffle back and forth: frozen. What’s a simple decision for me? It’s one that… Continue reading Frozen Decisions
Travel Because You Can
One of the first things people mentioned when I announcement my retirement was travel. “You’ll be able to travel and take advantage of the lower rates off-season,” they said. (As a teacher, we have to travel during peak times when it’s most expensive and most crowded.) I’ve done a fair bit of travelling over the… Continue reading Travel Because You Can
