Sleeping In
I am taking necessary steps to plan for my future. I'm paying off VISA and Target, then placing the credit cards in a safety deposit box five miles up the road. I'll have my Jeep Liberty paid off by the end of the year. And I hope to be able to pad my Prudential 401(k) so there's enough money to bury me in a pine box and leave a little behind for the grandchildren. My Will is updated yearly and witnessed by two individuals that have my best interests at heart.
In May of this year I will apply for early retirement benefits. If all goes well I'll reduce my work hours at the office in late October. You may ask why? And I say why not?
I started working while still in high school. And since 1969 I've worked in a post office annex; a nursery school; and head hostess at a catering firm in San Francisco. I've stocked day old bread at a thrift store for a year; and did time as a Supervisor for The Vons Companies, Inc. for close to 20 years. I put in five good years at Leslie's Poolmart, Inc. - five long years at Pathways Treatment Center - five challenging years at RE/MAX of Whitefish and now approaching Year 5 as a legal assistant. You do the math.
I'm tired - I'm done - I want to sleep in. I want to continue to work 1-2 days a week and pull a social security check. One of my colleagues said, "I can't imagine sitting at a computer all day at home and writing." Yes, I enjoy writing. Yes, I have a book or two to publish. But that will not be my life, just a slice of the pie.
I want to enjoy my surroundings. Walk; hike; fish; hunt; and shoot targets. I want to walk Main Street in Kalispell and get out to Big Fork more often. Picnics in Glacier Park (bear spray on my belt) and ice fishing on Smith Lake. The Flathead Valley has so much to offer and I'm ready to "play tourist" and see everything while I'm healthy.
I don't necessarily want to use a cane or a walker. I don't want to have a double hip replacement or blow out a knee. I pray I never get cancer or have my mind and memories slip away. But it can happen. I can't take my good health for granted - cannot assume I'll have energy and clear thoughts in one year - five years or ten. I've made an important decision.
My life may take a left turn at age 62... but I'm open to that. Open to the possibilities and freedom that will come without a 9-5 job. With that cue you'd think I jot down lyrics from Dolly Parton's 9-5 tune. But what comes to mind is a song from the late 70's and part of the chorus was:
"I am exactly what I am and not the way you want to see me be. And you can't tell me where to go or who or what to be."
And that is that.
Ja'Nee
In May of this year I will apply for early retirement benefits. If all goes well I'll reduce my work hours at the office in late October. You may ask why? And I say why not?
I started working while still in high school. And since 1969 I've worked in a post office annex; a nursery school; and head hostess at a catering firm in San Francisco. I've stocked day old bread at a thrift store for a year; and did time as a Supervisor for The Vons Companies, Inc. for close to 20 years. I put in five good years at Leslie's Poolmart, Inc. - five long years at Pathways Treatment Center - five challenging years at RE/MAX of Whitefish and now approaching Year 5 as a legal assistant. You do the math.
I'm tired - I'm done - I want to sleep in. I want to continue to work 1-2 days a week and pull a social security check. One of my colleagues said, "I can't imagine sitting at a computer all day at home and writing." Yes, I enjoy writing. Yes, I have a book or two to publish. But that will not be my life, just a slice of the pie.
I want to enjoy my surroundings. Walk; hike; fish; hunt; and shoot targets. I want to walk Main Street in Kalispell and get out to Big Fork more often. Picnics in Glacier Park (bear spray on my belt) and ice fishing on Smith Lake. The Flathead Valley has so much to offer and I'm ready to "play tourist" and see everything while I'm healthy.
I don't necessarily want to use a cane or a walker. I don't want to have a double hip replacement or blow out a knee. I pray I never get cancer or have my mind and memories slip away. But it can happen. I can't take my good health for granted - cannot assume I'll have energy and clear thoughts in one year - five years or ten. I've made an important decision.
My life may take a left turn at age 62... but I'm open to that. Open to the possibilities and freedom that will come without a 9-5 job. With that cue you'd think I jot down lyrics from Dolly Parton's 9-5 tune. But what comes to mind is a song from the late 70's and part of the chorus was:
"I am exactly what I am and not the way you want to see me be. And you can't tell me where to go or who or what to be."
And that is that.
Ja'Nee