Last Friday, I retired from my 38 years of service with the federal government. This week I have played the role of a retired person. Let me tell you that it has been pretty weird. It is still odd that I am not having to check my work emails or think about things on my work to-do list for this week. I no longer have to worry about that and it is very bizarre. I will eventually work another job but this transition has been different for me. I have worked a job consistently for the past 38 years. This week of being "retired" is new for me. No, I haven't been fishing or other things that retired people do but I'm not into fishing anyway so why would I do it now?
My retirement week has just been a week where I didn't have a schedule and didn't have to be anywhere at any set time. It has been great. If you know me, you know that I am pretty much a person that is comfortable with schedules and work routines. Even though it is out of my usual comfort zone, I have been okay with it. Take a nap in the middle of the afternoon? Heck yeah. Sit around and work on a word search puzzle? Who's going to care? Have ice cream for lunch? Probably not a healthy thing but why not?
Before COVID happened, I was getting up at 5 a.m. during the week to meet up with a group to ride a commuter van to work. I usually arrived at my desk around 7:15 a.m. and started my work day. At around 3:30 p.m. I was back on the van on my way home. So each weekday I was away from home approximately 11 hours. I'm glad those days are behind me now and I certainly don't miss the van which had been dominated by those supporting one political party.
COVID forced our office to do something we had never been allowed to do before, we were forced to telework. Working from home fit my personality and work ethic perfectly. Not that I am anti-social but I have always believed that work was for work, not a social club. With the type of work I do, it was difficult to keep focused when there were "walk bys" who demanded your time as well as those who simply feel the need to neighbor. Working from home opened a new world for me. I loved being at home and seeing my wife more than before. This was the overwhelming motivation for me to retire.
I will be working again and have found an employer who will let me to continue to work from home. It will be a whole new experience for me. I'm nervous but I'm ready for the change.
I will eventually "retire" retire one day. It's not going to take another 38 years to get there but I think we are on the right track. Sometimes you have to take a leap and see where you land. That's where I am now. I am excited about my new employer and will be ready to give my same effort as I always have. They are going to get my best.
Retirement isn't the end. It is a new beginning.
