My first reaction is: Has it been three years already? Hard to believe. February 26, 2011 was my last official day of work, although I think the last day I actually went in to work was probably February 24th, a Thursday as I recall. Friday was generally a day off on my schedule, even that last Friday.
At first retirement just seemed like the start of another vacation, albeit a very long one. But this last year, after our move back to Texas in 2012, it has all begun to seem both more real and almost completely normal. I no longer even think about working or not working. I just go about living my life. Sometimes I do, at least momentarily, actually forget what day of the week it is, something I never really believed when others said it.
What is more remarkable and also a bit of a surprise is how closely we have adhered to our pre-retirement plans. Some of that is probably owing to our own personalities, but some is also likely the result of all of those pre-retirement seminars I took in the years prior to leaving work. There is something to be said for planning.
But what is most remarkable and gratifying is the sense of adventure that continues to build. Life does not end with work, nor does work end with retirement, it merely metamorphoses into something more of our own choosing. I always suspected I should have been a man of leisure, and now I know I'm up to the challenge.
1 comment:
Allen still thinks about work. Of course, people calling him wanting him to consult just makes it worse. His general reaction is "no thank you". I think he is enjoying it and is keeping quite busy with all manner of things but I think it still strikes him as strange that he isn't getting up and going to work every morning.
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