Retirement

It’s been over a year since I quit my job. I think the technical term for it is “retirement,” but for a long time, I couldn’t bring myself to use that word. Stepping away from the regular grind was what I wanted, but actually accepting that my working life was over? That took a surprising amount of time to sink in. You can call it quits on paper, but it takes a while for your mind to catch up to the reality of a completely new identity.

If you’ve spent decades working, your entire routine is built around that job. So, what I didn’t quite anticipate was how hard it would be to figure out how to fill the time. Honestly, I’m still struggling with this. It’s a strange feeling, having total freedom but not having a ready-made structure to put it into. It turns out that having endless free time can be just as demanding as having none at all! It hasn’t all been a struggle, though. I’ve been able to focus a lot more on my health and fitness, which is a huge win. But it’s an ongoing project, just like everything else.

Now, I’m ready for the next phase. I’ve realized that I still need something that keeps my mind sharp. I’m actively looking for a way to be creatively engaged, but here’s the key difference: I want the engagement without the stress of a typical job. No deadlines, no office politics, just a project that I genuinely enjoy sinking my teeth into.

This new life is still a work in progress, and I’m excited about exploring this next chapter, figuring out what makes me tick now, and building a schedule that’s truly my own.