Four Days and Counting
In only 4 days, I will reach my official, government-sanctioned, long awaited 66th birthday. It falls on Tuesday, Election Day, so I will celebrate by going to vote for one of two candidates, neither of whom I want to elect with my vote. For posterity's sake I will identify our candidates: Barack Obama and Mitt Romney (who named these people?)
For about 59 years, I pretented that I would marry a prince, win the lottery, discover gold in my backyard while planting flowers, or inherit several million dollars from an anonymous relative. As unbelievable as it sounds, none of these events occurred. It was on that 59th birthday that I becan to actually plan for my retirement.
To shorten this first blog, I will say that I am now about to be one of the millions who will receive the beneficent gift of a monthly pay check from the government: a Social Security check.
What makes me just a bit different from others is that I am still rising each morning and going to my teaching job, something I have been doing for almost 40 years.
The anticipation of the official first check has put me in a state of fear and frenzy. Fear? Just fear that there will be so many deductions that my check will be just enough to take a friend to Panera Bread Restaurant for lunch. Frenzy? Just frenzied that I am receiving money that I worked so hard to deserve.
My neighbor has been retired for years, but I don't see her running off to a different cruise every week, spending time at a spa, or taking other fabulous vacations. Apparently "retired" doesn't mean relaxed in any way whatsoever.
I have another friend who retired from work and who will also receive that golden SS ticket now. The day after she retired this week, one of her very close relatives has some kind of horrible medical event. That means she will now be rushing somewhere out of state to give the relative all of her free time and help. Retired? No, now she has another job to do.
Advice given to me over the years is to not do anything for the first few months after retirement, to give myself time to decompress, live in my pjs all day, and try to get over the almost 40 years of emotional ups and downs involved in working.
Previously, my dream was to move to a tiny cottage in rural England and live like Miss Marple and be the darling of the village, where everyone gathered to drink tea and solve mysteries. Reality set in when I researched the weather in rural England. Nine months of freezing, dismal, rainy, and gloomy weather cannot be a replacement for this sunny Florida resident. I have now resolved myself to paying a little visit there during summer each year...if it's sunny of course.
Another dream was to work a little job at a famous theme park, which is about 20 miles from my present home. However, it appears that they want their employees to show up at work every day, just like before retirement. That dream will have to be researched a bit more.
For now, I am content to collect my teacher's paycheck and anticipate that magical Social Security check that will soon appear in my mailbox, no matter what the amount.
Here's hoping that our new president doesn't eliminate my dream retirement in any way. Let's keep that little check coming to my home for many years to come.
For the time being, Pinterest has grabbed my attention, so I am including the link to all of my boards. Enjoy learning something about what I like, what I wish for, and what I stand for in my real life.
Happy Birthday to me in 4 days, and Happy Election Day. Now don't forget to vote!
