Retiring

Dear You,
Retirement is not such a big word, but it means big things. It's full of tension: a pulling away from something big, and (if you are lucky) a drawing toward something, perhaps equally big.

It also means the difference from a sort of public life toward one much more private. During your working years, you're out there. Meeting people, being treated as someone to pay attention to. It is interesting to see how, during the retirement years, you move so unnoticed through the world. It's like going through the Mall of Life -- "No thank you, I'm just looking," if you're addressed at all.

As a male, I certainly drew much personal meaning from my job. Who are you? I'm a Schoolteacher. What am I now? A retiree -- is there anything more generic?

The "toward" after the "away from" is Time. We exist in time, and when you are working, those hours, while remunerated in various ways, are dedicated to something outside yourself. In my case adolescents and all their many needs. In retirement, however, if you work it right, Dear You, your time is your own. Be creative today, I tell myself each morning. Wake up early, it's Time.