Retired? Now what?

Life after retirement has been a wonderful experience in which I’ve learned to become a better, more adventurous person. No, I’m not into bungee jumping, but I have tried doing things I never had time for before. Life is good, not perfect, but good. I’ll share some of the things I’ve learned.
A few years ago I retired without a concrete plan for my free time. Health wise, I knew it was time for me to leave my rewarding job as a teacher and begin the next phase of my life. I looked forward to sleeping late, reading, writing short stories, relaxing, taking trips and not having any major responsibilities.
The reality of unemployment didn’t hit me during the first months of retirement because I rarely taught summer school and that summer was packed with many activities. I participated in a large charity fund-raiser, met our newborn grandson out-of-state, attended my daughter’s bridal shower and wedding (both out-of-state), and attended the unexpected funeral of my mother-in-law several states from my home. That was a very sad trip.
Fall found me missing my students more than I expected. I always felt grounded because I had a purpose in life as a teacher. Of course, it didn’t help that my husband was still teaching and telling me about the successes and failures of his students.
Taking Life Long Learning classes, including creative writing, at the local college was the beginning of me discovering who I am without my teaching career. But by Thanksgiving I had serious family responsibilities. My sister and I alternated staying with our parents through their various illnesses. My father died the following spring but not before I wrote an essay about his mother, my beloved grandmother. The essay, “My Grandmother, Little Mama,” was published in On the Shores of Detroit: History through Prose and Poetry published in 2002 by Odyssey Books/The Detroit Writer’s Guild.
Writing became an important part of my retirement activities. In future blogs, I will share some of the things I’ve learned about making the most of retirement.