Retirement 101 by Joanne Edith

I am new to this retirement gig.

On March 6th, after 44 years, I happily said goodbye to the corporate world:

  I said goodbye to the 2 hr. commute to Manhatten.

  I said goodbye to sleepless Sunday nights and stressful Friday executive meetings.

  I said goodbye to PC's and Blackberrys.

  I said goodbye to red-eye flights from LAX.

  I said goodbye to global teleconferences, performance plans and progress reports.

I said hello to lazy mornings in bed with a new puppy.

I said hello to days with nothing on the schedule.

I said hello to grandsons 'popping in' without checking first to see if Grandma was "free".

I said hello to whipping up breakfast, for my 'returning-from-a-jog' daughter.

I said hello to morning bubble baths, accompanied by the  beautiful music of backyard birds.

I bake bread on weekdays.

I go to the gym when I want to.

I realize that I don't need to save my chores for weekends.

I take relaxed walks with my new puppy.

I take golf lessons and swimming lessons.

I knit, I play piano, I sing, I bake, I shop, and I smile.

Grandma, wife, mother, sister, puppy 'human', mentor, musician, gardener, homemaker, photographer, journalist, and person are  roles I can now embrace without encumbrance.

Oh yes, this retirement gig is new to me, but I'm adjusting well to the transition from my corporate, professional identity to the me I always knew was lurking inside.  I now have permission to become all that I can be.

 "Free to be you and me" has meaning once again, to this 'old' (only as old as I feel) dog.