I'm Officially a Retiree!

It is official!  I am retired.  Or is it just tired?  I feel like I have been running a marathon for the last few months and have just crossed the finish line.  I have had 3 retirement parties (probably a topic for a future blog), tons of work, little sleep, and lots of emotions.  Many people have asked me what I'm going to do when I retire.  Right now, I just want to rest, but that's easier said than done.

This was a morning when I could have slept late.  Did I? NO!  I woke up thinking about a solution to an issue at work.  I have had a strong urge to check email which is the first thing I usually did when I got into the office.  So far I've resisted but this urge is compelling!  What is up with that?  I definitely need to work on a new mantra: NMP=Not My Problem!  However, this is not me.  I am a problem solver by nature.  I think I am going to have to work at it.  (On a related note, my husband just asked me if I was doing work email.  Doesn't that tell the story?)

I AM going on vacation.  I think I need this to break the cycle.  In the past when I have gone on vacation, it has taken me at least 3 days to unwind.  I wonder how long it will take to unwind from 34 years of work?  That's an incredible amount of time to develop work habits.  Of course, it will take time to reprogram myself.  I have many years of work habits that I need to break; retraining myself is going to take time!

I have to take note of several interesting things that are going on right now:

1. Yesterday was my last day of employment.  Coincidentally, my oldest son got a job offer yesterday!  While he has been working multiple part-time jobs in his field to support his family ( my lovely daughter-in-law and precious granddaughter), he has not found full time employment since graduating from college.  Five months ago he began a paid internship at a marketing firm.  Yesterday, they offered him full time employment.  I find the timing of all of this very serendipitous!  
2. Today the state of Minnesota is shut down!  That this happened on my first day of retirement is very humorous.  I just changed by Facebook status to say, "First day of retirement!  Now the state is shut down?  Guess the sate can't run without me!"  Please know that this is all in jest.  Everyone at work has been very kind and has talked about how hard they think it's going to be without me.  Now, I am a firm believer that we can ALL be replaced.  While things may be different, all will be just fine!  So then to have the state shutdown!  Hilarious!
3. I am unemployed!  That just sounds strange to me.  I have worked for so long.  I'm not sure how to feel about this.
4. Finally, while I won't miss the work, I AM going to miss seeing my friends and colleagues.  They hold a very special place in my life.  They were my joy at work and kept me going when I needed support.  

    My joy today has been sharing this special day with all of you!  But what about you?


Have you found your joy today?