Happy Anniversary

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Four years ago today we flew out to Kefalonia after I had packed up my briefcase and left the office for the last time, the night before. I'm so comfortable now in retirement that it is getting harder to recall my previous existence.

Trying to reflect on the intervening period, I can see that the initial honeymoon period was very much a time for recuperation. There was a great deal of rushing about and adapting, bringing with it recovery and the necessary rehabilitation ready for a completely different way of living to that to which we had become accustomed whilst working.

Gradually the need to simplify has become a part and parcel of our daily living and even though we are not always very good at it, we do keep trying. Similarly exercising has wound itself into our everyday lifestyle and we are currently finding ourselves with both strength and vitality that we would never previously have expected.

A year ago I felt that I had more energy, drive and passion as retirement moved up a gear and if anything it is only increasing. We are lucky in that we presently have no overriding anxieties and are very  much able to live day to day, concentrating on the present (we are not very good at forward planning) and are enjoying every moment. We are thriving in challenging ourselves rather than rushing to complete a bucket list, and our whole attitude to life is altering as we regress to a form of living not dissimilar to our care free teenage years but with a little more wisdom and definitely no schoolwork.

We are by no means experts in  this retirement process but as well as the exuberance we are presently experiencing, I can sense a form of calm creeping in; a sense of control and well-being. If we can harness it all together over the next few months, perhaps aided by a little more organisation, who knows what might be achieved. Whatever it is, I'll make sure to blog about it.

In the meantime it's a very happy 4th retirement anniversary for me.



 

Comments

Debra Journet said…
Happy Anniversary! It’s been a treasure to read about your process through retiring You offer a lot of insight into this complex process.
22 July 2018 at 16:57
Caree Risover said…
Thank you, on both counts
28 July 2018 at 17:33
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