One Newly Retired Person's Plan

Well, I have known since I was 16 that I would like to retire someday. I retired after 45 years of being an advocate and educator on Oct. 15, 2009 and it has taken me two weeks to relax enough to free my brain of all the work ethics I have imposed on myself throughout these years. First I had to let myself grief about not being able to instructor, advise, see or hear those wonderful people that I have had the joy of helping for four plus decades. Next, I had to revise my daily schedule from not enough time to more than enough time to sleep when I feel like it, eat hot food , and drink cold beverages instead of warm watered down soda's, cold sandwiches with wilted lettuce and smushy tomato slices. I always have eaten on the run and now I am learning to sit down and enjoy my meal; going back to family rules that meals are self and family time not an inconvenient thing to do to stay alive. Next, I realized that I have always made list of what had to be done each day and really have not been very spontaneous in my life because I worked some long and hard hours. Doing for myself to stay okay was always on my list but not having a DO TO list is very strange for me. I have always followed all the "Rules of Life" such as make list, stay organized, keep busy, help others, work hard, and sacrifice your own personal time for the good of the many not the whims of self .

Now as I sit here using my creative writing as a tool of changing from over working to not working I feel a sense of loss that makes me sad. I will deeply miss my students, coworkers, the public and am hungry to know how they are doing. But at the same time when I say to myself, "Your work is over now, let go, let others do it now", I am forced to see the 45 years of no breaks, little sleep, constant trying to keep up with new gudelines, and I know its time to let go. But as I let go what do I grab onto? I know that I have hated To Do lists but they were necessary calmaties so I got everything done in an organized and timely manner so others could have a happy life. Now its my turn; to do what exactly? Oh Yes, to stop doing To Do Lists in my head or on paper and stop waking up in the middle of a deep sleep to add something to do for someone else, Hmmm.

Okay, here goes. First I went around the house and boxed up all items that were even remotely related to my career and kept the emails, pictures and cards. Secondly, I went through the emails and deleted those I did not need anymore, reminsced with pics and cards, shedding a few tears, laughed alot, felt warm inside as I recalled all the truth in my work and the grand progress so many people have made in their lives, happy moments.
Thirdly, I tore up all the To Do Lists and am still taking my time about what to put up on my home office walls. My Goodness what is life without preplanning and To Do Lists, eek, scaring as crap but workable. Now, I will paint the walls and put up Positive Reinforcement things like my favorite writings, travel brochures, and some of those beloved pics and cards.

All my life I have had work ethics from my first teachers, my parents, grandparents, aunts & uncles, foster families, professionals, and delightful strangers whose wisdom far surpassed mine. I am sure all of us have "Rules of LIfe and Work" and mine are probably not unique but I want to change them now. I will keep the ones about "Idle Hands", "Eat, Rest, and be Creative", "Stop worrying and go to Sleep" but now I am adding "No More To Do Lists", "Eat Healthier", "Be my own best friends", Relax. Yes, I am relaxing and have realized that I have been so busy with careers in Social Services, Education, Business Ownership, Food Service and Retail Management that I have not had idle time, a vacation, or nothing to do all of my life. Now that is sad to think about, and just what does "Do Nothing, Just Relax mean anyway?" Do Nothing? How does one accomplish that? Doing anything is something, right? Alright then I tried to do nothing for two days, I felt psycho, I turned off the TV, Radio, Computer, and just sat and breathed deeply, and relaxed. Oh my creators where screaming at me that "Doing Nothing" is not for me, "Get Up they screamed and Do something you have always wanted to do not the things you thought you "HAD" to do. They are so wonderful those creators giving us Free Will to figure out our own life and learn by our mistakes. Believe me "Doing Nothing" is a mistake for me.

My retirement plan is to do what I want not what I need and not by a to do list nor schedule but when I feel like it, so there you go. I wake up and go to sleep when I feel like it. I ignore knocks at the door, emails, cleaning needed, and chores when I want to be left alone. I now eat better, sleep sounder, get more accomplished with my writing and artwork which I love, have more contact with family and friends, and have not had a head ache in two weeks. I am working more on my Family Tree matching my research with my DNA and have family information as far back as 10th generation in some branches; and I love it. Can you believe I have ancestors from Africa, India, Egypt, Asia, Canada, Eurasia that are buried within 20 miles of my home, and I did not know it? Scientists from National Geographic/FamilyTreeDNa say I have rare variants in my bloodline and I love researching my ancestors and learning where they lived and worked, who their children were, and I am relaxed. I have been matched with those that match my DNA and absolutely love learning about them.

Hey, I figured my retirement out by writing this article; I have worked my whole life, gone to college and obtained degrees, been to thousands of seminars, met so many glorious teachers in life, and the reason has been that I love learning, not working, but learning new things, meeting new people, seeing new and old places so I can connect the dots on what to do as I retire. I will live by learning, spontaneously, travel, write, do artwork, and not just stay in Ohio for the rest of my life, visit new cultures, eat new foods, enjoy the air and breathe in me, and if I wake up I know I am okay, and if I don't wake up then perhaps that is another learning I will be blessed to experience.

I am closing this article now because my "Do Nothing" is now that it's 3pm I am still in my pj's and have not eaten today so I am going to fix me some rice and gravy for breakfast, or maybe some fried chicken and waffles, no I got it a big bowl of those old tyme chicken and dumplins' or "pot pie" as my Granny called them, I will take them out on the deck and eat, enjoy the beautiful fall leaves and weather, and then soak in my over-sized tub with a National Geographic Travel Magazine. Hey, Early Retirement is gonna be just what I have always wanted and was to busy to do it, until now, that its the right time:)