Quote of the day:
"The point about retirement is not to clutter it up with too many activities." [Said a friend to me a few months ago]
Transitions. Ten minutes - GO!
Work was about developing an identity. Is retirement a transition to developing a different identity? What is a transition anyway? It is defined as moving from one stage to another. As change. Change takes time. Do I have the time? Time feels so fleeting to me now. I hear about people close to my age dying, and I wonder if that will be me suddenly. Will people notice? Will they miss me? Will I have been of some worth to them when I was alive? I sense the redundancy of me during this coming period. I once was - but now I am no more. So is my work the only part about me that makes me worthwhile? Transition from one stage to another. From hard work to time on my hands. What do I want to do? What will make me happy - bring me joy? Travel to a beautiful garden perhaps, or seeing old friends. Am wary of nostalgia because that's not reality either. Reality is living in the moment. Holding still with difficult or uncomfortable feelings and not rushing to the iPhone or TV, or eating so as not to feel them, for distraction. Reading is distraction too. Is distraction such a bad thing? After all, could we survive if we always and only held still with uncomfortable emotions? Perhaps we could survive better? Who knows? Have I ever really tried it? I mean - really? Being in the now of it instead of running for my life from it? This is going to be the challenge this transition. Having the time to be with me, and not be distracted by a million different things. Getting to know me: what I like, what I want, and how I feel.
This is probably what I fear most about retirement.
A year ago at Mining Nuggets: Accompanying me into the New Year
Sylvia,
Thanks so much for sharing what happened for you. This means so much to me. I hope I can find the courage to truly find and follow my heart too ...
Tamar
Posted by: Tamarika | December 31, 2018 at 06:39 AM
I rediscovered a me I had given up on at about age 18. At 68 I brought horses back into my life and rediscovered some of who I had been back then before too much experience diluted that essence. It has been such a magic time of reawakening to a simpler life with time to do just that, getting back in tune with who I am to the core, seeing the coherence and beauty in the world around me every day with such depth of gratitude. It brought a whole new meaning to the phrase”second childhood”!
Posted by: Sylvia | December 30, 2018 at 10:34 PM
Marion,
You are a role model for having the courage to follow your heart.
I very much appreciate your comment here.
With love,
Tamarika!
Posted by: Tamarika | December 30, 2018 at 03:53 PM
Some just decide to stay with what they know and be in that comfort zone. I knew there was a whole other me that needed to emerge. I'm grateful I allowed that. I think it's important to remember we are women and in our generation we didn't have many choices that we could follow. I'll be 70 soon and need to approach my end with joy, gratitude, and sweet memories of a life pretty well lived. I say GO FOR IT!
Posted by: Marion Barnett | December 30, 2018 at 03:34 PM