Retirement Anxiety--Not at All!

A friend of my sister's, Susan, taught art in high school for many years in St. Thomas, the US Virgin Islands, where my sister, a life-coach and therapist, has made her home for many years. She was a dedicated teacher---helping her students constantly--both inside and outside the classroom. But when she turned 65 and made the decision to leave her job, except for some minor anxieties about health care--she was ready to go.

Here is what she wrote:

Retirement Anxiety?

I remember marking the date of my intended retirement on a 12-month calendar hanging in the classroom where I taught. I would be 65 and that seemed a reasonable age at which to leave the teenagers with my hand picked replacement, a lovely young woman who was recommended by my university advisor in Tennessee. My retirement became a necessity when my husband suffered a subdural hematoma and needed my assistance during his recuperation, so I never really had any doubts that I had made the right choice. We had spent the previous five years caring for my mother who passed away at the age of 102, allowing us to take vacations together again.

Perhaps I had a bit of anxiety figuring out the health insurance options, but with Medicare kicking in and my government insurance as supplemental coverage; it all fell into place.

Do I miss being in the classroom? No. Do I miss the kids? Yes, but I see them on facebook. Do I miss writing lesson plans, attending staff meetings, dealing with disciplinary problems? Are you kidding? Am I bored? No. Do I lack direction? No. Am I enjoying being retired from teaching? A resounding YES!