Gratitude: Top Ten Reasons I'm Thankful I Retired From Teaching

Do you know why this woman is smiling?

The husband commented to me just yesterday that I appear to have been made for retirement. You know what? He's right.  I haven't been this content, productive, happy and calm for years. I know I'm lucky; most people don't have the opportunity to retire at 55. I awake each morning with a grateful heart, knowing that the day is mine, to do with as I choose. Here is my Top Ten List:

10. I no longer have to perform according to anyone's expectations except my own.

9. I swim every day during non-peak hours. That means I don't have to race to the pool before 5 a.m. and fight for a lane.

8. I devote huge amounts of time to turning our property into a homestead, growing as much of our food as I can.

7. I take classes for myself, not to satisfy the Board of Education's licensure requirements. (I just finished a 6-week woodworking class!)

6. I enjoy cooking again.

5. I read more.

4. I have time to work on my art! How wonderful it is to spend entire days in my studio being creative without time constraints.

3. I love on and play with our dogs and cats so much more. That is an investment of time that pays you back with tons of affection and entertainment.

2. I get to hang out with my husband, who also retired this summer.

1. I can use the bathroom whenever I please. (Those of you who have not been teachers can never truly appreciate the luxury of this. Teaching is the only profession where you can't go pee whenever you want.)

To my friends who are still working, my wish is that you arrive here sooner rather than later so you can settle into the joy of being in charge of your own life!

I'm Back!

Yes, after an inordinately long hiatus, I have returned to Blog-land. So many things have happened since my last post (over a year ago!) that I'm not sure where to begin.  I guess the biggest and most wonderful news is that my husband and I retired from teaching in June. He taught for 20 years and I survived taught for 24. No, we do not miss it. Yes, we are enjoying our freedom. No, we're not bored. In fact, I'm busier now than I was when I was teaching. I understand this is a common condition among the retired. Yes, we are very blessed to have been able to retire early and I thank the gods daily for it, especially each morning when we have our leisurely coffee in the front yard (also known as "the morning room") and the rest of the world is racing around getting to work.

One of my longstanding whiny refrains has been "Working cramps my style. I don't have time to work on my art..." Now that I HAVE time, I figured I'd better stop whining and start creating.  So I am pleased to announce the opening of my Zibbet shop! Some of you may not be familiar with Zibbet. It's much like Etsy, but I find them a bit friendlier to use. At present, I'm focusing on upcycled/repurposed stationery and mail art and have already made a sale! Stop by for a visit, when you have the chance: Enveloped In Art. Here are a few examples of what you'll find:

Halloween envelopes

Kokopelli postcard

Winter Trees postcard

Autumn Stationery Packet

Halloween Stationery packet

There's been a definite learning curve involved in the computer part of this.  I must say that I find the art part much more engaging! But, I'm determined to become part of the 21st century and find my way around technology. At least enough to get my work out there. I suspect it takes me three times longer than it would someone who knows what she's doing.  So much of my life is trial and error...

There are other adventures going on around here (like reworking our city plot of land into a permaculture homestead - click on this link to see some folks who are my heroes and role models), but they will have to wait for another post!