Simplifying Life

I began October with the goal of simplifying my life by organizing my home and doing things to make cleaning quicker and easier.

I began by purging closets and drawers.  I pulled everything out and in very little time separated clothing, electronics, and toys into three categories: keep, trash, and donate.  BUT I am still left with papers I have not gone through to determine what to keep and what to trash.

Papers aside, there have been other accomplishments toward meeting my goal.  I have made specific spaces for storing materials for all my activities: writing, sewing, music, jewelry, painting.  Glass top furniture pieces have been eliminated or replaced with easier to keep clean pieces.  The glass and wood coffee table is now one of those all wood lift top tables with storage.  Nick-Nacks that require tedious dusting have been removed.

 

 

 

Even the outside of my home is being simplified.  No more painting and staining the deck and porches.  Wood has been replaced with composite decking.

Purge…purge…purge.

Once I have the house done, it’s on to the storage shed.

Now, back to those papers.

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Fully Retired : )

Well, it has been almost two months since my official retirement date.  It didn’t seem any different until last week.  As a school teacher, I always had summers off for vacation.  This summer was just as it normally is for a summer vacation other than everyone asking me what I was going to do now and what it felt like to be retired.  What did they mean?  What was I going to do… anything I want to do or nothing at all.  Isn’t that what retirement means… ceasing to work?

Anyway, last week summer vacation ended and students returned to the classroom.  Now, retirement is real!  Now, I feel fully retired.  I miss the cheerful greetings and hugs from returning students.  I miss getting to know the strengths and weaknesses of new students and creating ways to use the first to overcome the latter.  BUT I don’t miss early rising, late evening, and bringing work home.  I don’t miss thinking about going to work sick because it’s easier than making lesson plans for a substitute to follow, especially knowing that you will probably need to teach or reteach the material you left because the substitute decides not to follow your plan.  I don’t miss working lunches.  And I don’t miss the meeting where teachers are introduced to the next educational trend.