retirement | Dear Bliary

Not too long ago, this was the beginning of my every day life. Wake up at 5:15 am, be at school by 7:15, greet my students at 8:15, school day, school day, school, day, see the kids off at 3:00 and prepare for the next day, rest of the week, holiday, whatever… til 5:30-6:00 pm.

Jeff spotted this in a store front window last week. I felt a mix of nostalgia, sadness, and relief.

This is no longer every day life for me.

What is, is getting up a little later, sipping Island Mango tea with honey, while checking my email in bed before having a healthy breakfast (instead of wolfing down a granola bar), and then taking a leisurely walk, most times to the beach.

This is now a quick look at my every day life. Retirement. Ahhhhh…

A walk along the water’s edge (until the water gets too cold 🙂 ).

Watching Jeff enjoy the sun, sea, and surf. I love how he loves it.

Collecting shells.

People watching. (And yes, this gentleman was playing bagpipes on the beach!)

Sitting down and reading, just for fun. (something that’s nearly impossible during the school year) 😦

And later in the evening, sitting and watching the sun set from our deck, often greeted by our neighbors cat.

Knowing that every day life is much simpler and I am oh so lucky.

Thanks to Jon Sanwell, of Without an H for this week’s challenge. For more of Everyday Life, click on the WordPress logo. Enjoy!

This is where I work. At least right now. As some of you might have read, in previous posts, I will be retiring in June. I feel conflicted about the decision to leave, but I am not sorry to be going. Before this ‘work’ I was employed by a gas and electric company, but teaching was what I always wanted to do. I got sidetracked. Never did go to college. Not til I was 47 years old. Then, due to the fine art of downsizing, and after 25 years of service, I found myself out on the street, pounding the pavement. Thanks to luck/karma/coming to my senses, I met a wonderful man who agreed to support me while I ‘went to school’. Yes. Finally. College. After much studying and babysitting, to supplement our income, I graduated COLLEGE! YAY! And due to the kindness of others, I landed a job almost immediately. Now, 10 years later, my adolescent dream winds down. For various reasons. Though I don’t plan on going for my masters – not that there’s anything wrong with that – I do plan on starting something new and different. Just don’t know what, yet. I was lucky to have one dream come true. There’s no rule that says I can’t go for two. Or more…