I’ve been retired for 6 ½ years. From the first day that I didn’t have an office to go to, to today, a lot has changed in my life and a lot has changed in me. Looking back, I wish I had kept a journal of my retirement days. I was not much of a writer back then, so no record. Writing is one of those changes.
I was having a difficult time accepting certain things at work, so the decision to retire was not that difficult. I also had concrete plans for the next few months so I didn’t feel the “what now” phase until much, much later. I was very, very lucky and grateful that I was able to get away from a source of stress and frustration and embrace a much more peaceful place where I would get to hangout with my granddaughter.
This more peaceful place was Chicago, Illinois, a four-hour drive from my home in Muncie, Indiana. This meant packing up a home I had lived in for 24 years and moving. It meant selling the home where my kids grew up. It meant saying good-bye to the city I called home for 28 years to my back yard where I could see the stars in complete darkness; to the campus where I had offices in seven different buildings throughout my career; to the colleagues with whom I had worked for 28 years and to my dear friends with whom I had shared countless meals, drinks, stories…
Retirement is more than stopping going to work. It is a major life change. In this section of my blog, I want to share with you my experiences in retirement. It will, hopefully, help ease your apprehensions (if you have any) about retirement and let you know that you are not alone.
