2023 Saturday — Celebration

Today marks three years ago that I retired. I remember that period of time as quite stressful — making sure I had dotted every “i”and crossed every “t” — but once I was through the paperwork it was mostly getting beyond the feelings of letting go of something I had wanted so desperately.

I had been told through most of my six years of attending college as a 30-something adult that I would never ever get the job I wanted — community college instructor, which led to professor. So when I was offered a full-time tenured position in the English department I was elated. I never regretted my career choice.

I loved what I had chosen to do. Helping students learn to write, and to write well, was rewarding. More often than not, I was, trying to encourage them to love to learn. Many of them were not good readers and disliked reading; they disliked school. Community college students for the most part do not desire to be in school, but they did not know what to do with their future, so attending was their last choice because there were not any other choices.

Retirement has been pleasurable to say the very least. I do not miss grading papers. I do not miss attending meetings. If I miss anything it is the classroom and the interaction with the students.

So we made the roadtrip this morning to Southern California from California’s Central Coast and this evening we are out to dinner with our daughter celebrating this trail marker in my life.

Rosie (& Mr. Fun), aka Carol
and Chloe & Mitzi too!