The joy of another year

Yesterday was my birthday. It's an odd feeling for me to realize that I'm now closer to 60 than to 50! Somehow, I still think of myself as 51 or 52 but the reality is that I'm now 57. I was a bit past the halfway point between age 55 and 56 when I retired last year.

Once I'd disclosed that I was pretty certain that I'd be retiring as soon as I was qualified (my 55th birthday), my hairdresser at the time, a very sweet and caring woman a few years older than me, gave me doom and gloom talks about early retirement at every monthly appointment . She said that her clients who retired early shrivelled up (metaphorically speaking, I assume), had medical problems, were depressed, etc., while her clients who were still working in their 60s and beyond were vital, healthy and full of life. She said she didn't want to see this same fate befall me and I could tell that she was genuinely concerned--she really saw early retirement as the kiss of death. If I am to be honest, it freaked me out for a while.

As touched by her worry as I was, I knew that it was time for me to go. I'd put in 37 years with the Federal government and 32 of them with the same agency. There were many years when I really enjoyed my job, but those years were starting to become a memory. I had been reorganized so many times that it was a wonder I could remember what floor to get off on when I came to work in the morning so, when I was once again thrown into another division with no warning in late 2006, my spirit took a major hit. That was the beginning of the end.

Two years ago today, I signed the contract on my new home at the beach. It marked the beginning of a new phase of life. In the space of that year--October 2007 to October 2008--I bought my first home, moved to another state, retired from my job and adopted a puppy. Now that's what I call a vital, full-of-life year!

In the past year--October 2008 to October 2009--I have done a number of volunteer jobs: answering phones for the State welfare office, reading to pre-school children at a HeadStart school, fund-raising for a no-kill animal shelter and writing for a website dedicated to inspiring Baby Boomers to volunteer. If I've done any shrivelling since my retirement, it's only due to age and osteoarthritis of my spine. Through my volunteer work with these organizations, I have met incredible people who are doing incredible things for their community, their State or beyond. These people inspire me to be more and give more.

When I was about to retire, a coworker said "Why would you want to retire so early and just sit in a rocking chair?" And I responded "Who said anything about sitting in a rocking chair?!?" Sure, I spend a lot of time at home...but then I always have (when I wasn't working). I strive for a balance between being retired and being of service...and that is what will keep me healthy and vital, along with going to the gym a few times a week and taking my dog for long walks daily.

So yes, I am thankful for another year...to be retired, to help others, to make friends, to be a puppy mama, to be a writer and a reader and to do nothing at all if I feel like it!!!

You know the old saying...another year older is preferable to the alternative!