New Beginnings

May is like Oscar season for teachers:  retirement parties, Teacher of the Year dinners, honor luncheons, etc…  It’s so much fun to send off our teachers every year and to see all of the ones who retired before us.  Our teacher retirement parties are more or less a retired teacher reunion.  I will be attending two parties this year as two very close friends of mine find themselves where I was last year - in the final month of what seems like a lifetime educating children and ready to start a new life as a retired teacher.  At least, we hope we are ready.  Although I never doubted that it was the right time for me to retire, leaving the workforce after being there for most of my life created a combination of excitement and anxiety.  A year later, although I still consider myself a Rookie Retiree muddling through my new life, I am definitely starting to get my sea legs.  

As the guests mingled at the party reminiscing about old times, taking silly pictures and talking about their current lives it was easy to see that “retirement party day” is one of the happiest days of the year.  On the morning of her party, I told my friend that the party will make it real for her - that she will actually start to feel retired.  For us teachers, retirement is like “finally graduating.”  Now that I am an official veteran retiree, I would like to share my list of the best things about retirement (in no certain order):

• Travel  We can more or less do this whenever we want.  As teachers, we could only travel during the on-season times - summers and holidays - so we paid top dollar.  This severely limited the amount of travel we could do.  And who wants to do leaf peeping in New England in the summer?  I love reading travel blogs and searching for great travel deals.  We can visit all of our friends whom we have been telling for years, “I’ll come visit.”
• Interests  We actually get to have some.  Gardening?  Photography?  Cooking?  Wine Tasting?  Whatever interests we have always wanted to pursue can come to fruition.  
• Family  Although we have always been there for them, we can now really Be There for them.  Whether we are helping take care of the precious grandbabies, or just lending a hand when they are overwhelmed with their busy lives, we can be there for them without having to juggle our work schedules.  My out-of-state son and his family?  No more worries about whether or not I get to see them.  
• Health  Ever wonder why so many retirees look so healthy?  We have time to focus on our fitness and nutrition.  No more squeezing in a workout on the way home from work after we are already exhausted.   We can now put a 20 mile bike ride on our day’s agenda or take a 2:00 Yoga class with our favorite instructor.  We can take time and cook healthy meals.
• Friends  How many times have we been trying to schedule an outing with our friends only to open the calendar on our phones and find it filled with meetings and trainings?  (I used to hate all of those dots on my calendar - and it was never anything I wanted to do.)  Our calendars become more friendly and accessible.  Can’t do dinner Friday night?  How about lunch on Tuesday or $5 martinis at 4:00 on Thursday?  
• Flexibility  One of the things I love the most about retirement is the flexibility.  I always found it interesting that as working mothers we had to be flexible, but also as working mothers we had very little flexibility in our schedules.  Now, if today doesn't work out, tomorrow will.  It’s a great feeling.  
• Pace When I was working, I had one pace - super speed.  When we retire, we can slow down the pace a little and stop and smell the roses.  It’s amazing how much we missed all of those years that we were consumed by our careers.  

For my friends Patti and Carole, and all new retirees out there - you are going to love your new beginning!