Hi! Thanks for stopping by . . .
The last 10 years of my educational career was spent as the vice-principal of a Middle School. My list of things to do and pursue outside of my job has grown exponentially year by year.
Maybe it’s just me, but retirement seemed like giving up and I had to turn my understanding of retirement upside down before I could even contemplate the idea. When people ask me, “what do you do with all your time?”, I feel a faint twinge of guilt because let’s face it, society places a lot of value on work. But, I’ll answer that question at the end. First . . .
What did I have to give up in order to retire?
A paycheck.
My own biases that retirement is for people who are old and used up.
A place of employment where I loved working with both the kids and the adults. A career that was full of diverse challenges and where I had endless opportunities to serve.
So how did I deal with each of the above?
A pension cheque became my new paycheque
About a year ago I read Mr. Money Mustache’s blog for the first time. Drawn to minimalist living, I hadn’t read anything that challenged me to determine how much income is enough. Prior to reading MMM, it seemed irresponsible to give up the pay cheque before I reached the magic number.
It was illuminating to read that retirement was not only pursued but also attained by adults much younger than me. So, retirement was NOT just an age thing. It was a lifestyle thing.
Rather than looking at what income I was losing, I looked at what I was gaining. It was about taking back time and freedom to explore the stockpile.
Re-visioning retirement overcame my bias
Not: Re(ally) -tired (as in too tired to do anything)
Rather: Re-tired (treads to explore new territories)
The way I see it, I have a lot of tread left – until I don’t. Life is a gift and this has never been more clear to me than recent years when too many of my loved ones died too young. The realization of how fleeting our lives are compelled me to re(tread).
Challenges and opportunities to serve are everywhere:
Beavers construct dams so there is both inflow and outflow because water that doesn’t move grows stagnant.
Life is about learning and sharing – inflow and outflow.
A few things I love . . .
- Kayaking
- Cross Country Skiing
- Photography
- Nature and being Outdoors
- Reading & Learning
- Writing
How we spend our time shapes who we are, so these pursuits along with others will find their way into my musings.
And finally . . .
Here is a picture of my heart.
My husband of 39 years and I have 3 daughters, 2 sons-in-law, 1 grandson and 2 granddaughters . . . so far. This family is my heartbeat.
So, back to the question …
What am I doing with all my time? I’m . . .
Reading and questioning and exploring
Writing, writing, writing
Finding quietness and moments of wonder
Engaging in exercise and adventure.
Spending time with the people I love
Learning how to live my best life.
My posts are organized around the values that guide me. I have not mastered any of them. I fail . . . daily. They do, however, help me to re-balance, to self-correct, to re-direct.
Thank you for reading to the end of this page. Come on this journey with me by exploring my website and sharing your knowledge.
May each new day bring you moments of wonder.
~ Priscilla
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