Retiring at 50 wasn’t the plan. Although I was looking forward to retirement, I planned on teaching for a few more years. When I found out that I had to teach both in class and online I stepped a little closer to the retirement line, but wasn’t quite there.
Then, my teammate took a job at a different school. I had already lost two of my best friends, who I taught with for over twenty years, to retirement. I was on my own teaching a split class for two years. Then, I was back to fourth grade with a new teammate. We taught together for two years and became good friends. I couldn’t do it again. The stress was already over the top before Covid hit. I knew I just couldn’t do it anymore. On top of these two issues, I watched education go down the tubes over the years. All in all, it was the right choice.
On to my new life as a retired lady. I love it! I started out by becoming an ARC team member for several authors. This means getting an advanced copy of their books to read and review. I have connected with a couple of authors and have started corresponding with them. I then became a proofreader for a local author. This is something I’ve always wanted to do and I love it! I’m hoping this leads to more proofreading work in the future.
As I am and have always been an avid reader, I started a blog that is mainly book reviews. I started with a website and then added Instagram. Learning WordPress is quite a learning process. I am learning as I continue to move forward. I’ve decided to try to add more blog posts about random things.
My next step was making the decision to go back to school. I have a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree but wanted to learn information that can help me improve my blog. I am now on my way to an associate’s degree and recently finished my first two classes with A’s. I will have a business degree in digital and social media marketing. Getting into the habit of taking classes again took a bit of getting used to and a few tears, but I’ve settled into it at this point.
Covid keeps me home for the most part, but the days fly by. I keep busy and know I made the right choice. Change is tough but inevitable. So far, I am enjoying the change!
