The End Is Near

No, I have not developed a life threatening illness, nor have I turned into a doomsday believer. The end that I am thinking about is an end to my working life. The time has finally come. After all these years of getting up at the crack of dawn, and working my fingers to the bone, I have started to think about retirement. Yes, you heard it right, I am starting to think about what I want to do with the rest of my life, as I am officially the last one in the Sisterhood to retire.

The Good Old Days

Thinking about retirement has made me a little bit nostalgic. I remember very clearly the first job I had. I worked at the Big Scoop Ice Cream shop in the food court of the local mall. It was not the most important job in the world, but it was my job. I took pride in what I was doing and I had the strongest right arm from scooping all that ice cream. The best part of the job was getting my very first pay cheque, and with that money I got my ears pierced. I don’t know what I will spend my last pay cheque on. I guess we will find out in the next 2- 3 years.

What To Do?

The one big thing I want to do in retirement is travel more, and as you know, I go on trips with Big and Middle Sis once a year, so this part has already started. The only problem is the fact that I am the only one who has to ask for time off, as Big and Middle Sis can go at the drop of a hat. Once I retire, Big and Middle Sis won’t have to wait for me anymore. I am very excited about this.

I must confess I am looking forward to sleeping in and having a flexible schedule. I’ve also thought about starting a dog walking business. Biscuit is not sure about this one – she is concerned that her top dog status might change if other dogs start entering the picture. But I think I can get her to come around if I promise to include her dog friends in the business.

What other things am I looking forward to doing you might ask? Well, I plan on doing some volunteering, maybe take up a hobby like cooking. That may sound pretty boring to some people, but for me it would be a really big challenge. Since my husband and I have been together I have never once cooked him a meal. I have threated to, but never made good on the threat. Believe me with the cooking skills I have now, you would not want to eat anything I have made!

By the way, just to let you know, my husband is not quite on board with this retirement thing yet. We have discussed it, but my “spidey senses” are telling me he will keep working until he is 90. I have talked to Big and Middle Sis about retirement as well. They have given me so much “helpful” advice on the do’s and don’ts of retirement, I am not sure where to start. I am confident, though, that I will be able to sort it all out when the time comes. And of course I’m sure Big and Middle Sis will be ready with more “helpful’ advice should I need it.

You just never know, the possibilities are endless, and that is why I have started to give this retirement thing a little more thought. I think the key to a happy retirement is keeping busy, and avoiding TV watching and eating bonbons all day. I think once I find what I truly want to do, that will make the next chapter of my life that much more interesting. Until then it’s “nose to the grindstone and full steam ahead!”

We will be doing a new post every Monday, so look for our next one entitled “Step by Step”