A Retirement Blog by Caree Risover

Do birthdays become more or less important as you get older? I've had one this week but on the basis that it's not considered I've turned a significant age have pretty much downplayed it, or so I thought. Of course, there's always that red-letter day feeling and I treated myself by staying away from the gym (figure that one out, if you can) and avoided anything that could be deemed an obligation rather than a pleasure. Now I know cards aren't a thing anymore especially amongst the younger generations and throughout the day I received plenty of text messages to keep me buoyed, but our postman let me down big time. I think he must be carrying on  the postal workers' industrial action single handedly because we haven't seen him since Monday. That wouldn't normally bother me but this week I realised how much of a birthday tradition opening that array of coloured envelopes is, and missed glowing in the warmth generated by all the good wishes for my unique day

  Last week I handed over two large boxes of files, a laptop, scanner and other associated bits and pieces. My period as the Parish Clerk had finally ended. As I wrote in my last post, I have enjoyed undertaking the role but, after more than 7 years, am ready for a change. When I initially retired, I had a strange idea that I would wake up the next morning a changed being ready to embark on a new (to me) unconventional lifestyle. I wanted to shake off the decades of logic and pedantry; that world where you see both sides of every argument but are ready to present only one. A place where right and wrong can be very black and white and the need for focus reigns supreme. Of course, it didn't happen. In fact nothing altered for months or even years. I remained the product of straight line thinking and convoluted legislation. The inner Bohemian, if it existed, was buried deep. Try as I might, it simply wasn't easy to embrace new pathways and methodology. I followed advice on not com