It has been 12 months since I retired. The year went so quickly, its amazing.

My internal clock still wakes me before 6am. I’m still getting lists by email and snail recommending the best places to spend my later years or the best place to invest my 401K (Ha!).

Life still happens (along with all the challenges that it involves), but I’ve found that being unscripted has lots of advantages and I’ve had great fun.

I still agree with Piaf, “Non, Je ne regrette rien “.

I am so grateful.

Like most of the kids I knew, I started working when I was in High School and continued thru colleges and relocations. After my latest job, 10 years with an internet company, I decided to give away the alarm clock. It was time for me to retire. Like Ediaf Piaf, “Non, je ne regrette rien“ – I have no regrets.

As it was, I was older than my parents when they were able to stop working, I didn’t want to “hang in there” any longer. I wanted to stop reading those newspaper columns devoted to “How to Retire Comfortably”, “Where to Retire Comfortably” (Although, all the seniors I know are not relocating, they continue to “rock” in place – no pun intended), “How to Keep Life Interesting” (comfortably), etc. It was time for a change. I knew it in my bones.

The word “Retirement” covers a varied set of situations. Today it means lots of things to different people – the traditional “thank you/gold watch” scenario doesn’t apply now. I was not sure how I’d handle not having someplace to go every morning after 40 + years. Would it take time to adjust – like the 7 stages of grief or would there be relief/ euphoria? (I think it really depends on the relationship that you had with the work you were doing.)

It has been 3 months. Am I bored yet? No. I’ve kept busy and I do not miss a “job”. I’ve been a little like the ground hog Punxsutawney Phil – sticking my head up to test the smell of spring – in my case, the smell of what’s next?

I am grateful for the opportunity to have some time to pay attention to what is important to me. And, whether we are working or not, I truly feel we are here to contribute to life in any way possible. My intention is to continue doing just that.

There will be adjustments and challenges, of course (I am supremely thankful for rent control), but I will manage. I am a proud senior citizen.

Now, if I could just stop waking up at 5:30 in the morning…