Retirement (Pending)

Friday, December 30, 2022, will be my very last day in a position I have worked at for the past 7 years and 11 months. Apart from the year (July 2002 - July 2003) we lived in Egypt; I have worked since I was 14 years old. Fifty-two years of working. Mostly for other people. Sometimes multiple jobs at a time. 

I made the decision to retire in early 2021 and began sharing the decision with people. Multiple members of my inner circle (and some outer circle folk) repeatedly asked what I planned to do in my retirement. My initial reaction was, "I have to have a plan?" In my mind the act of retirement meant NO MORE PLANS. Almost every single person responded along the lines of "You have to have a plan." Their reasons for why I needed a plan included:

• People without a plan die younger.
• You will get bored.
• You are still young and could be productive.

    Cheery bunch of people, I know.

    So, this is my plan:

• January through February is packing up our home for our move to Minnesota.
• Joe and I will begin our travels around the United States in March 2023 to visit friends and family.
• Our last stop on the trip around the US will be in Rockford, Minnesota. We will live in our daughter's beautiful basement while we look for a new home.
• We will spend time with our daughter, her significant other, and the grandchildren (both human and fur).
• I will find volunteer opportunities in our new community.
• I will spend time with Joe Coehlo
• Writing this blog about retirement, our travels, and settling in Minnesota.
• Anyone who knows me knows this blog will at times be emotional and messy.
• I will write stories about people I visit and care about.
• I will include photos of our trip.
• For now, my blog will be private - invitation only.
• I imagine sometimes it may be boring as it is all about my perspective of the post-retirement me and my world.
• Mostly, I want this to be a safe space for people I have grown to care about to have an inobtrusive way to stay connected if they choose.
• A few of them will send me unsolicited recommendations for edits... I will try to honor them. They love me and know words are important so I will want to put my best foot forward.

Today, I leave you with the above meme. One of my fears about retirement is that I will try to 'manage' Joe Coehlo. He has been doing simply fine without me 'managing' him over our almost 29 years of marriage. If you do decide to check on this blog, occasionally, you'll get to experience my struggle with reigning in my bossy tendencies...