Forty-four school days until I am an official retiree! My decision to retire did not come lightly. I have been teaching for 33 years, I've been in school for 51 years (I started Kindergarten when I was 4). Needless to say, I have been in school practically my entire life. So for me, not going to school in August hasn't really begun to sink in yet and I am slightly stressing out about what this whole retirement thing is going to look like. This past week was my last Spring Vacation and I decided to do a Staycation and preview what retirement might look like for me.
During my preview week, my workouts were in the morning at 9:00 instead of squeezing them in on my way home from work. It was rather nice to get up in the morning and put on my workout clothes instead of packing them in my gym bag and rushing off to work. Liking that. I was able to get up, have some yogurt and granola, and watch the news before leaving for the gym. After my workouts, I grabbed a cup of coffee with my workout buddy who is also retired. No place to rush off to. Different for me, but not a bad different.
Watching the news. Watching the news a couple times a day. There's a lot of news that you miss when you work full time. Especially teachers. Teachers come home from work and work more at home in the evening, so being able to catch up on what's going on in the world is definitely a luxury.
I actually enjoyed a little bit of cooking this week. Instead of stopping by Mariano's Market and grabbing something to bring home, I cooked a few things from my "Low Calorie Meals" board on Pinterest. Some of my favorites were Lasagna Rolls and Burrito Bowls. Don't get me wrong, love Mariano's, but cooking from scratch is always healthier, more cost effective, and it's definitely more fun when you can take your time.
I did a little bit of shopping. I have been going to the gym a lot more so I thought I would stop and pick up a few more workout tops. One of my favorite brands for workout attire is Calvin Klein Performance. I like Calvin Klein Performance because it's more fashionable and you can wear it straight from the gym to the street. I realize that when I retire, I will most likely be wearing more work out attire. Afterwards, I made it over to Starbuck's for a Shaken Black Iced Tea (no sugar) and I noticed sitting at the various tables were the various "retiree groups." Hmmm...
Another thing I did this week was to start my spring cleaning. I cleaned out a few closets. I have more to do but I'm not stressing about it because I know that there is always tomorrow. That was definitely a good feeling.
I am going to muddle through this the best I can. Not only am I a teacher, but I was also President of my local union for 9 years, negotiated 4 contracts, and served on practically every committee. Making the transition from Super-Busy Teacher/Union President to Retiree is going to be a challenge, but I'm definitely up for it! Only one of my close friends is retired so I am more or less out here on my own. Hopefully my blog will be of use to other retired or soon-to-be-retired readers who (like me) have a lot of energy, like to stay busy, and want to have a happy retirement. Maybe we can help each other out.
Check in often. I promise to keep you updated!
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