How to carry the joy from your job into retirement?

I know...retirees all say they are so glad to be shut of that job. When asked "What do you do all day?" they answer, "What ever I want?" It all sounds so free of obligation and stress.

Then one day it occurs to them the no-stress is kind of stressful too. Lack of purpose or long days stretching out before them with nothing they want to do can be boring. This is when a retiree begins to ask themselves if retirement was such a good idea after all. Many return to work at jobs they don't really like because they don't know what else to do. That is when they need to fall back on the things that actually had them choosing their career in the first place. They need to ask themselves what it was that they liked about the job they left.

Open the window to retirement joy!

All I can tell you about is what I know. I have been retired for 14 years now. I was a teacher of kindergartners for the last five years of my career. An opportunity fell into my lap when I was not looking. A curriculum director invited me to participate with all the other kindergarten teachers in our district in a program that was designed for 5 year old's. We used what was called "developmentally appropriate practices" gearing everything we did around the social, emotional and intellectual level of the children we taught.

I fell in love with this job and learned much more than I taught. Oh, there were challenges. Children that were hyper active and those that did not speak english filled the room. Each day was full of surprises. Still, when I talk about it I always smile. I had a wonderful teaching partner that also acted as a mentor. I always knew what I loved about that job.

I loved the research and learning.
I loved writing curriculum.
I loved seeing the patterns and making connections between what I learned and what I could apply in the classroom.
I loved the creative part of the program
I love helping parents find their way in the rearing of their children.

I did not realize how natural those skills fit into the writing life I started with this blog. The research, sharing of idea, connecting research with the needs of retirees and the creativity that goes hand in hand with the process all fill my days. I feel like I am teaching every day but I am doing it because I want to, when I want to and at my own pace.

So this is what I think...if you are having a hard time adjusting to all that leisure, remember what you have always loved to do and do that even if it was part of your old job. A purposeful life is a happy life.

Happy retirement.

b

Five Little Ducks...stories played out!

The children's song about the little ducks leaving the nest to fly away has always been one of my favorites. Every mother has seen their babies fly away and rejoiced. Life comes full circle. Animals live that same cycle. Babies grow up. Birds leave the nest. Life goes on. So when the three ducks show up every year near my patio I am not surprised. But I am puzzled that it always seems to be the same three. Something just doesn't seem right. It appears the one did not fly away at all. Five little ducks Went out to play Over the hills and far away. The mommy duck went "quack, quack quack," Four little ducks came swimming back... And then Three Two and One. A drake, a female duck (a hen) and a not quite a drake but still not a hen gather here on the 5th green of the golf course. She leads and the other two follow along obediently. They eat, sleep, and guard each other. Each and every day this time of year they come. I have not named them. Jinxing them would be very pos...

How to be a 12 Month Snow Bird

Vacation Rental in Mexico I live around snowbirds 6 months of the year. I have heard those people say that they all want to live the "snowbird" lifestyle when they go home. But it just is not possible. They are isolated and cold. Social activities with friends and beautiful weather are greatly missed when they return to the realities of their "real" life. One couple I visited with lately returned to Florida this morning where they own a home. The woman is a nurse and works in the summer. They are not going home until May this year. It is too cold in Michigan in the spring so they are hoping to extend their good weather season by simply staying away. Besides that they love their Florida lifestyle a lot. Last week I visited with a woman that lives the snowbird lifestyle year around. No going home to the Midwest in the spring. They essentially vacation 12 month out of the year. And I thought their solution for avoiding unpleasant weather and keeping their lifestyle in...

If You Build It, They Will Come...Maybe!

It all began with a antique window in front of a local shop. It had been painted yellow, the glass was loose and all of the hinges and latches were gone. My old friend Betty would have approved...she would tell me it was just broken enough and damaged enough for me to drag it home. When my dear husband saw it, he wondered what he was meant to do with it. Imagine his surprise when he was presented with the plan to build a small neighborhood library exchange. It wasn't the first time he had heard me ask "How hard could it be?" Now it is six weeks later and we mounted the darling little library exchange on two posts in our front yard. I love it. Now the question is, will they come or has the time passed when people actually read something made of paper? Our association president stopped by and admired the box but left after telling me that he only read books on his Kindle. We will see. Would you bring a book and take a book? b+

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