Retired from work - but NOT from life!

We (Husband and I) were very, very pleased to have a voucher as one of our retirement gifts for a photo shoot with  an incredibly talented and award winning photographer in our area - Martyn Norsworthy. I know Martyn really well and he's photographed me before, both for business and personally.   He knows I'm never pleased with how I look, despite all appearances to the contrary and I'm very low on self esteem and personal body image.  It didn't help that unusually for us, husband and I had a quite blistering row the night before. Well I say row; I shouted and himself listened! You know how it goes don't you! :)  Anyway, the whole shoot was brilliant and a very sneak peek re-assured me that the photos would look ok.  Well, they were more than ok, and we were incredibly pleased, however, there were the usual comments from me - can you make my teeth whiter, can you crop it a bit so you can't see how big chested I am, etc etc. But...

Normality? What is that? Well, I think it could be what I'm starting to feel in my new life as a retired person: there's starting to be rhythm to it all.  At last after almost 10 weeks of days filled with tears, anger, resentment, disbelief and a huge feeling of loss, I woke up this Monday and realised that this feeling, whatever it was in my stomach (no not hunger - never!) had actually disappeared as if it had never been there in the first place. A bit of an awakening in many ways.  I have no idea why or what it is that's actually changed, but changed it has. I'm waking with a positivity that had deserted me, and it's great to welcome it back.  I realise that actually retirement is not that bad, and I can at last see some opportunities in this new way of living.  The freedom to start to plan the travels we talked about for example, to start looking at my garden with eyes that see it as a joy rather than a chore to fit in with work...

How's retirement going??  Dear God! If I hear that phrase again, I think I may bloody well scream............ !  Just how is retirement going?? Truth is I'm really struggling. Some days it's moderately ok - others it seems almost unbearable.  I begged and prayed for the day we would retire and we could 'be'! It turns out I have no idea how to 'be'. (Husband has perfected the art very quickly!)  However, I know how to 'do', oh I know how to do that so well, so I'm 'doing' lots; cleaning - lots and lots of cleaning! I've turned back into the eternal cushion plumper.  Ironing - a new skill re-learnt by me, believe it or not. Most of our clothes were sent to the laundry as we were too busy working or they came out of the machine and flattened out.  Do you know the last time I washed and ironed sheets?? About 16 years ago! All my linen has been dispatched in a blue bag via a nice little man in a van and returned crisp and clean...

                                retirement Learn to pronounce                                                                           noun                                        the action or fact of leaving one's job and ceasing to work Hello - I my name is Liz and I am retired! For the last 6 weeks! Some background about me; I'm 63, married, a family with 2 grandchildren and 2 dogs.  I've worked since I was 15 1/2 left school with no qualifications & no ambitions, all I wanted was what lots of young women my age wanted in the early 70's; to be a wife and mum & ha...