At Last! Retiring for GOOD!

Short Answer: No. Long Answer: Hell, No. I'm 67. I retired last year, after realizing that the old age I'd been waiting for had arrived. In addition to finally getting off the merry-go-round of too little time, and not enough spent with people who matter to me, or activities that I truly enjoyed, I said: enough. Was my first year what I'd expected? Not even close. To begin with, I was humbled to realize that, planner though I was, completely unstructured time is not something I handled well. Before the year was up, I'd started taking local teaching sub jobs, 2-3 times a week. I actually made better progress with writing after I had less time in which to accomplish it. The district I sub in has generally nice kids, the work allows me to plan and make notes on my writing, and I am still able to reject jobs and have fun instead. Due to an unexpected illness on my husband's part, I did not get as much travel as I would have liked. However, he is better now, ...

This isn't about money (although, not having to worry about money is also a GOOD thing). This isn't about health, medical care, or how to pay for it all. This is about building habits that will make this the Best Part of Your Life. I had been aimlessly browsing, ahem - I mean strictly reading what was absolutely necessary, when I happened upon a reference that intrigued me. It led me to this site.  What Ann Voskamp wrote about struck a chord in me. She wrote about habits and how they can transform your life. Not just by the immediate outcomes, but how they can bring God's Grace to your life. Now, I'm not the most knowledgable about religious matters, but what she said struck me as true. One of the things she said seemed unbelievable. “ Forty-five percent of what we do every day is habitual ,” say the researchers, “ performed almost without thinking in the same location or at the same time each day, usually because of subtle cues . ” Other sources have c...

I've been REALLY busy this morning (Thursday 8/24/17). The RamJet people are here to shore up our foundation. I've been working to get the bedroom cleaned up and cleared out. I started by tackling Den's stuff - he does have the tendency to drop what's in his pockets anywhere. Over time, the junk has built up - pens, receipts (mostly not necessary to keep), cough drops, change, etc. He also tends to use meds/lotions/razors/etc. in the bedroom, but not removing them again. Together, with the habit we have acquired of eating while watching TV, that has made a huge mess. I started at one end of the room and methodically moved through it. I put some of the 'probably important' stuff in a lidded container, for him to sort out later. I dusted, wiped, and swept as I went. A funny thing happened when I got near my chair. Suddenly, the junk started to be MINE. I was amazed at the sloppy habits I'd gotten into, as I had to confront them for the first time in we...

As I read this, it occurred to me that this advice is good for the Old and (Re)Tired, too. Get out there, today - Change the World.