Two years retired this past June 1.
Turns out I don't enjoy baking and decorating cookies. All those years I thought it would be fun...I was totally wrong. It's not really the decorating....it's baking the cookies and bowl and bowls of different colored frosting and the little gadgets needed that are slipping into the disposal and the mess and the dishes......believe me, those people that do it deserve every penny they get for each of those cookies!
It also turns out I really did like work. I just didn't like the responsibilities week in and week out, on a steady schedule. I was also done with the shenanigans of my previous district. I was fortunate enough to be hired by a school district that wanted to develop an "in district" program for my particular area of expertise (rather than contracting it out). I worked an average of about 15 hours a week the past year (obviously, having the regular school breaks). While there are definitely some in person responsibilities, I can do quite a bit remotely. I love the mentoring of staff that want to support students with complex communication needs. I basically keep track of my hours over 1 to 2 months to stay on track) and they are fine with working around my travel schedule (there are about 180 school days in the year and was traveling 40 of those weekdays!). I even told them I'd be in Iceland for two weeks in August and Africa for two weeks this September (thinking that might be an issue for them. Nope, they said they were grateful for whatever I could do for them. Of course, it helps, I'm sure, that I knew the director and was good friends with the coordinator, so they know I won't screw them over.
However, for the next school year I'm going down to a 20% contract or about 7 1/2 hours a week. I'll probably work an extra day or two each month, because the job really needs about 9-10 hours a week. That seems to be the perfect amount of time.
I'm also still a travel agent. I don't make a ton, but between our travel and the friends I help out, it pays for an extra cruise or two a year. And it's all stuff I was essentially already doing, but now I get the commission (I was already helping family and friends choose a cruise line or tour company and even finding things to do and restaurants where they're going, just for "fun".
I should add, it drives my husband a little crazy (that I'm working). He retired in 2019 and never looked back, never worked again (despite offers to consult) and is happy not being as busy. That's just not me. Now, if one of my kids gets married and I have a grandchild, to help watch or something, all bets are off!
So some people will say I'm not really retired, because I'm getting paid to work. I say, I'm getting paid to do things I love so I can do even more things I love.
I was a little nervous about money before, especially since I submitted my retirement paperwork in January 2022 and then retired in June. (That's very common for school districts and ours gave us an extra year of free medical if we informed them by February 1). Our money seemed to keep going down! But 2 1/2 years later, we have more than what we started with at that time and we took out quite a bit a money to help our kids with down payments for homes, plus we're redoing the front yard. I was having retirement regrets for awhile (my pension would have been a lot bigger if I had stayed these last 2 years). Now I don't even worry.
Its the 7th anniversary of my cousins death today (he was the youngest of my generation and 19 years younger than me). He died at 34 . And Saturday a long time friend died (she was just a year older than me). Not exactly unexpected (she had brain cancer), but I am really feeling the gratitude of the time I have had since my retirement. While I hope to have much more time, I seem to be frequently reminded these days that not everyone has that chance.
Here's to a 3rd year of retirement.
