Keep On Keeping On

Yes, fall is a go for teaching (see the post below), but I didn't expect four class sections! The two I thought I'd get became available last, and the two I didn't expect were offered first, plus a summer class. I'll be able to not only get dental work if I need to but help with patio repairs, vacation expenses, other emergencies and new york visits as well. Most importantly, it will keep me feeling useful and active in my retirement. It's the equivalent of a fulltime load as far as classes go, but I don't have to do any advising, committee work, meetings or reports the regular faculty do. And I'll still only go in a few days per week.

People have this mistaken idea that retiring and getting away from everything that used to bug them at their jobs is the ultimate dream. Trust me, no matter how much you think you'll be able to enjoy fishing, golf, tennis, woodworking, stamp collecting or whatever other passion turns you on now in your spare time, it will get old pretty fast when you get away from your work schedule, and you'll start feeling pretty useless till you find something you can do part-time: volunteer work, a part-time job, or anything that restores contact with other people who need and appreciate what you do. No matter how much you think you'll be able to achieve on your own, chances are that if you have worked for another employer all your life, you won't have the habits of self-direction mastered sufficiently to avoid feeling pretty bored after a few weeks or months.

The irony of retirement is that to be happy, you have to go back to work. The beauty of it is that you don't have to do what bothered you before. You get to choose how you spend your days. That's the real reward.