Life After Retirement

I keep thinking I need to write a post.  Then I get a call from my daughter asking if I can babysit.  Or a call from my other daughter asking if I can babysit.  Or a call from my other daughter...... you get the picture.  I've been doing a lot of babysitting, a thing which I LOVE!  Those little people just have a way of making life worth living. 

I really looked forward to retirement.  I was never what you call "career driven".  I only worked because we needed the money.  That's what happens when you marry a school teacher.  So when the opportunity arose for me to be able to retire, I was very excited!

I had a really good job.  I loved the people I worked with.  They were all so positive and upbeat.  I had a very nice office with a view. I was able to decorate my office any way I wanted which made it feel like home.  I also had my own private fridge in the room next door.  I had the respect of my peers.  I was the office assistant to the dean of our college. I was "somebody". Looking back I can't really believe how I ended up there.  I was working part time in the Geology office when the Dean's secretary had to retire very quickly due to her cancer coming back.  I had filled in for her a couple of years before when she was out for treatments.  Because of the speed of having to replace her I was summoned into the Dean's office.

"I want you to apply for the job", said the Dean.
"Really?  I don't know if I want to", said me.
"I think you're the best person because you won't need a lot of training", said the Dean.
"Ok. But I will only apply if I can be very flexible and be able to take as much time off as I want to help my kids with their kids", said me.
"Ok", said the Dean.

And I was hired.  I made a lot of money, which I really didn't know what to do with because I never really had a lot of money.  I loved my bosses.  I loved being able to be successful in keeping the College going.  I organized and ran Convocation for our entire college three times a year.  I organized and ran 2 major socials for our entire college's faculty and staff twice a year.  I had a very close working relationship with most of the faculty and staff of not only our college, but with the administration.  I felt valued.

Then I retired with a grin on my face.  I was not expecting the feeling of being a nobody.  It was kind of a hard transition to be okay with that.  I was quite surprised.  And for someone like me to feel that loss, I can only imagine how much harder it is for people who are very career driven to suddenly be unemployed.