September 30 marked the official date of my retirement. Although I left the office on June 15 I have been taking unused vacation — an indication of what a workaholic I had become prior to retirement. Who would accumulate over 3 months of vacation time without an insane devotion to an organization? So after […]
Author: Jeanette Lewis
Achieving Balance During Transitions
During a yoga class last week, my teacher spoke of the fall equinox and the balance of day and night that occurs with both the spring and fall equinox. She went on to speak about life balance and the necessity of creating balance in our lives especially during seasonal changes. She also spoke of the human […]
For Everything There Is a Season
Pete Seeger’s well known song “Turn! Turn! Turn!” popularized the Biblical phrase ‘for everything there is a season and a purpose under heaven”. Weather patterns, daylight hours, and the angle of the sun changes as the Ontario summer evolves into autumn. The pace of daily life also changes with the change of seasons. Suddenly the […]
Relax? not always easy…..
In the early days of retirement, a frequent comment to me has been “now you have time to relax” or “now you can take it easy”. I have smiled and agreed. However, I am learning that relaxation does not come just because you are no longer working. There are always distractions and there are always […]
Keep your dream steady
Life can only be lived happily ever after on a day-to-day basis. —Ernie J. Zelinski Before finalizing the decision to retire, I spent a great deal of time thinking about how I wanted to live during the post work or third phase of life. Intentions were framed around happiness and contentment through freedom to pursue […]
Wasting time? Spending time?
60 minutes every hour, 24 hours every day, 7 days every week and 12 months every year. Today marks 10 weeks since I left my office. I have had 70 days of retirement or 1680 hours! Where has the time gone? What have I accomplished? Have I been wasting precious time? How is time […]
Searching for 'it'
When speaking with a group of friends on the beach earlier this week, I was amazed at how often they expressed dissatisfaction with their perception of life situations, life events, or the quality/standard of their lives. One man was frustrated with his work and, although it was early on Sunday afternoon, he was already dreading […]
New Skills — Blogging
In recent posts I have extolled the value of using time wisely and have cited taking courses and learning new skills as a postworksavvy strategy. There are many ways to gain new skills. Here is my story about learning new skills to become a blogger. The idea During the last months at work I had […]
The Abundance of Time
Since retiring, having no schedule has dominated my thinking and planning. There is a luxury about waking up to a leisurely cup of coffee to be enjoyed while checking emails or reading in bed or sitting outside in the morning sunshine. I think about the whole day stretching ahead and revel in the available hours to […]
New Directions – Roadmap needed
As much as we can try to understand the many personal reactions to retirement it is difficult to fully anticipate some of the changes that will be encountered until these changes occur. The first six weeks of retirement have brought a child-like giddiness and excitement as I have savoured the freedom from a rigid work […]
