The title of this article sure makes retirement sound ominous. I, honestly, thought it would be. For me, the "end of an era" was December 31, 2016. Running a small furniture company and ending my career meant that the last couple of months would be extremely busy. It was and the situation was exacerbated by the feeling that I did not have the opportunity to truly train my replacement. This was a source of tremendous worry for me. It had to take numerous conversations with my 89 year old mother to convince me that this was no longer my responsibility and I had to "let it go" (Nanay must have seen Frozen.) As a footnote, I worked for this company for about 8 years then left for about 5 and came back for 33 more years. Working for the owner of this company was a great joy. When he turned over the company to the daughters, the situation was not the same and that will be a story for another time.
So December 31 came and went. January 1 and January 2 were non-working days so we did what we had always done on easy lazy days. It was January 3 that would be the one to cement the idea that I had retired. Waking up and not having to frantically go about my day in order to start work early was no longer under consideration. This idea made me both thrilled and filled with nervous energy. It was a "now what" moment. It was hard to wrap my head around the idea that I could do whatever I wanted at any pace I wanted. I cooked our meals (love doing it but I'm not very good at it--- average at best, I haven't killed anyone with my dishes although my brothers think that someday I probably will.). I made curtains. Reading a book was so comforting. Finally, I could pick up a book and actually enjoy it without rushing to finish it. Doing things with my daughter and husband could now be done without considering whether it was going to conflict with something I had to do for work. And yet, it took a little time (perhaps a week or so) to get my rhythm going. At first, the whole day seemed to overwhelm me. If I cooked meals, then the house could not be cleaned. It was disconcerting to see the house in disarray. What the hell I said to myself! I used to do all that and go to work. That feeling has not dissipated.
I've learned to pace myself and do things in a more relaxed manner (not easy for someone who lives in New York and is high-strung). So this is what they mean when they say take time to smell the roses. Today is Jan.31 so it's 31 days since that first retirement day. Today, I was asked to speak at a parent support group meeting. The topic was "How the arts help a child with autism". I've done this a number of times but work always seems to get in the way of being able to do it more often. It's my way of paying forward since there have been so many people that have helped me in my journey to make sure Lea (my daughter) gets the best possible opportunities in life. Lea is now 24 so I'm an "old parent" who has had to fight the good fight for quite some time. Helping others with their journey is no big deal. Another thing that I have time to do. Retirement is great!!!!
So December 31 came and went. January 1 and January 2 were non-working days so we did what we had always done on easy lazy days. It was January 3 that would be the one to cement the idea that I had retired. Waking up and not having to frantically go about my day in order to start work early was no longer under consideration. This idea made me both thrilled and filled with nervous energy. It was a "now what" moment. It was hard to wrap my head around the idea that I could do whatever I wanted at any pace I wanted. I cooked our meals (love doing it but I'm not very good at it--- average at best, I haven't killed anyone with my dishes although my brothers think that someday I probably will.). I made curtains. Reading a book was so comforting. Finally, I could pick up a book and actually enjoy it without rushing to finish it. Doing things with my daughter and husband could now be done without considering whether it was going to conflict with something I had to do for work. And yet, it took a little time (perhaps a week or so) to get my rhythm going. At first, the whole day seemed to overwhelm me. If I cooked meals, then the house could not be cleaned. It was disconcerting to see the house in disarray. What the hell I said to myself! I used to do all that and go to work. That feeling has not dissipated.
I've learned to pace myself and do things in a more relaxed manner (not easy for someone who lives in New York and is high-strung). So this is what they mean when they say take time to smell the roses. Today is Jan.31 so it's 31 days since that first retirement day. Today, I was asked to speak at a parent support group meeting. The topic was "How the arts help a child with autism". I've done this a number of times but work always seems to get in the way of being able to do it more often. It's my way of paying forward since there have been so many people that have helped me in my journey to make sure Lea (my daughter) gets the best possible opportunities in life. Lea is now 24 so I'm an "old parent" who has had to fight the good fight for quite some time. Helping others with their journey is no big deal. Another thing that I have time to do. Retirement is great!!!!
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