WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES IN RETIREMENT

Last year at this time I was winding down my job, my career, and heading into retirement. It was an emotional year prior to that July 6 deadline.
Now one year later and almost one year into retirement, my life goes on.
I have not done all the things I wanted in this first year. But I have done some.
Being with my husband has been the most demanding by making sure his needs are met. We just celebrated one year and one day since his last discharge from hospital so we are doing something right!
My writing is evolving. I am almost finished the Ball Point project that has been ongoing for too many years. Some other genealogical family lines written.
But creative writing needs to occur too.
Crafts have been made. Social events attended. New groups joined. Some day trips. Fun with the daughters on outings and movies.
It amazes me how much you are dropped from social situations. I do contact some old work colleagues but no one really reaches out to see how I am doing. So there. I guess what I felt with the ageism stuff was true the last few years of work. I was tolerated. However a couple of my real work buddy friends had already left the hospital years before I left.
I surprise myself that I have no real need to visit a lot. I drive by the building often and am grateful for the 15 years of service I provided at the end of my working life. But to go in and see everyone, no real urge. The Christmas pot luck was fun and I would go to more social events if invited.
I miss the work of counselling and being able to be there in a crisis. But the rounds and boring discussions and challenges of my knowledge I do not miss. I definitely do not miss having a boss. No boss. No manager. No worrying about saying the right thing all the time. Tolerating anger and crap from people. Nope don't miss that!!
I think it has to do with the thought that if there are more hospitalizations I will be there anyway.
I am pleased I can survive okay on the pensions. But I still have a drive to try to find ways to make some more money.
The club garage sale brought me some pocket change so I need to find ways to sell my stuff. People do buy collectibles at the price set.
Treading water with the decision of when to move. I want to stay as long as my husband can be in the house. We built it together so there is that emotional piece.
So I will write more about the retirement process. It has been a transition. But do I really like it! Not really. The life is behind rather than the work challenges of being in front of me.
Are you retired and how do you feel about it? Was the process a slow challenging one? What do you do for meaningful activities in your daily life? Did you have goals and are they met?
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