Ah..... the sound of quiet in the house... now maybe I can express my feelings about retirement... Now that I'm really doing this, how do I explain what retirement is? When first planning retirement, I was wondering how I was going to fill all that time that I used to work, do lesson planning, and grade papers. Somehow that time has been filled, and I don't seem to have time now to do all that I want to do. Since the finances are challenging because of limited incomes, and challenges with medical benefits, I put in to substitute and have applied for part-time jobs. As a result, the phone is constantly ringing for sub jobs that I now really don't want to do because a couple of part-time entrepreneur opportunities have become available, which will enable me to develop the consultant business I started once before. However, life still seems to be slowing that process as well. Family challenges, construction challenges, and the retirement life style keep my life full!
The retirement lifestyle includes tea parties, lunches with people I haven't seen for 45 years, trips that are irresistible but challenge the tight budget, writing memoirs and other pieces both professional and personal, and especially precious time with the grand kids. The joy of being able to be available for family is awesome, And being able to make memories with grand kids is so wonderful! And when family wears me out, having time to take a mid-afternoon nap is fulfilling!
It is fun to be able to take off any time and go meet a friend from years ago, and learn each other's stories. One friend took a different path in life and in expressing how she felt when she came out of the closet, she said " I understood then why the skin didn't fit". That expression really hit me as I was writing my memoirs this morning and was trying to explain my ex-husband's description of being transgender. The connection between the pieces made me realize that our generation has so many stories to tell. And we need to tell those stories for the next generation! As Paul Harvey used to say, they need to hear .... and I'll be telling ..... "the rest of the story".
