Paradise Found

When I started to write this blog I had just retired from Saks in 2015. I don’t play tennis or golf and after enjoying several months of no schedule, I went back to work as head of Human Resources for The Diocese of Venice.

I have been a practicing Catholic all of my life, but never knew what the inside of the Catholic Church (or how it runs) looked like. An entirely new experience for me! I worked very closely with Bishop Dewane and Chancellor Smeryk who taught me a great deal about the Church (of which I only know a minute bit) and after seven years I finally retired in July 2022.

This time retirement is real and there is no going back!

My husband, Doug, is thrilled because since we were married in 2010, he has been alone every weekday – he retired long ago.

But what of retirement? Is it all that it is cracked up to be?

Over the past year I have found it quite hard not to be involved in business; not to be leading a group of people within a department; not to create and achieve specific goals – all of which I have lived over the past 35 years. Trust me, I was very bored. Saw no challenge ahead of me. I even thought of looking for another job – fool that I am. Who would hire a 77 year old?

So, slowly, very slowly, I started to live with reality. I’ve thought about volunteering, but honestly, I don’t want to leave Doug all day again – or even part time. I thought I would go back to embroidery which I throughly enjoyed when my children were little (picture). Today, I am not sure who embroiders, but while I am pretty good at it – I like the printed kind and one that is a project not just a little Christmas decoration or such. I’ve been everywhere on the internet looking for something that isn’t trivial or silly and alas, nothing.

I am not an outdoor girl, never was and never will be, so any type of sport or outdoor activity does not interest me at all, although I have joining a spinning class – indoors of course!

So next was reading – I have always loved to read, non-fiction more than fiction, but if well written I enjoy. I found myself finishing books in two days! Again, the work ethic reared is ugly head – Plan, start, finish.

I tried projects like viewing every movie that won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, but I had seen many of them. However, I watched them again just to accomplish the list. Plan, start, finish.

I love to cook, and I do every night for dinner. I used to bake as well, but I like to keep touch with a healthy weight and sitting and eating delicious homemade cookies on a regular basis is not healthy. So now, baking is for dinner guests and holidays, except for popovers. And cooking every night is ok, but I don’t particularly enjoy cleaning up every night (although I always do – nothing like a clean kitchen to wake up to every morning). Plan, start, finish.

The grandchildren are now 24 (Con), 22 (Claire) and 16 (Keira), none of whom are interested in (or even thinks about) spending time with grandparents and I don’t blame them. Keira is still in high school and made the Varsity Cheer Team this year so we will drive up to Tampa to attend a football game in September. Plan, start, finish.

Doug does not like to fly any longer, so no trips. I’m lucky to have travelled extensively in Europe and the US while I worked, so even though I would go to Paris any day of the week, any week of the year, I’ve been many times. No need to plan, start, finish.

So, that brings me full circle to writing the blog. It is something I enjoy – and it does take planning, starting and finishing!

So I am back. Look for a new story soon!

Plan, Start, Finish