Leslie is not only my one and only forever sister, she has become my very astute editor.Last week I dashed off a blog that as Leslie said, was a mish mash of topics vaguely connected because they all flowed from my train of thought.These days my train doesn't run on evenly laid tracks across a prairie, but rocks from side to side on switchback tracks. Non-fatal derailments are common.
I admire Leslie's single-minded and highly focused blogs.I used to be like that.Leslie's critique diverted my focus even more when she tossed out a new suggestion. "You should write about retirement.I'm worried about what I'll do and a lot of my friends are worried as well."
Leslie, this blog responds to both issues—why I have trouble with a focused article and a bit about the reality of retirement for me.
Working life for me was complete immersion.I lived and breathed history [or whatever other subject I happened to be teaching that year], teaching, and students. Outside of work, most of my time was devoted to my family and a small group of friends.Retirement stripped me of my hyper-focus which was both frightening and exhilarating somewhat like participating in an extreme sport.At first I structured my time, studiously plugging study, social, volunteer, and physical activities into the week.As I enter my sixth year of retirement, I have jettisoned the distribution requirements for retirement and entered a phase of embracing paths that seem interesting, challenging, or intriguing. Like Tootle the Train rambling among the daisies in the meadow before he learned to "stay on the rails no matter what," I'm rambling through life.
But, I promise Leslie and our readers that rambling is for life experiences, not for blogs.
