Summertime Writing

Cathy Beesey Founder Stories Connecting Us

On Pinterest, my favourite social media platform, with an algorithm of course, I now get blogs about retirement. I read a couple of blogs after conversations with my cousin and friend, both grappling with, “Will or won’t I retire, now? If not now, when.” I didn’t have to grapple with deciding whether to retire or not, I was ousted. When the notice was sent to staff it said I had resigned, a point I wanted and needed to make. This is another story not for now. Although, is this why I don’t feel as though I have retired or like to be described this way.

So in the heat of Saturday, where I lose the ability to go out when its over 35 degrees celsius, I read Aspects You Lose in Retirement by C.C., no need to give her name and I’ve changed the title. I don’t like being mean. I don’t know who she is, what she looks like, how old she is, although maybe she’s one of the glamorous older women in one of the photos. Is she the thin one with cool turquoise glasses and hair dyed grey rather than natural? True confession, I do love this look. Or is she the one with dyed hair smiling with super white teeth at the distinguished man with grey hair? I don’t really care enough to find out. I ponder, do you lose things when you retire? Do you have to lose these things or do you just misplace them for a while? Do you discover different things? Or, are these things we lose, the important ones?

Oh and the ads distract as they pop up and I’m not sure if the heading My Latest Video is from C.C. or someone else. At last I am at Point 1. Daily Structure – yes work gives structure and I lost this when I left work. It felt as though I was always struggling to plan my days. I did commit to exercise and did this every morning after breakfast, I committed to eating breakfast too. By the way I’ve eaten breakfast since I was twenty-five. But then, OMG what to do next. Now the good news, I have a structure that isn’t like when I worked, it is better. I do: lots of writing, working on projects, the occasional meeting, the gym, cleaning the house, “How exciting, not,” gardening because I want it to look good and enjoying moments. And if I want to be philosophical: I exist therefore I have a daily structure. 

Point 2. Professional Identity – well yes, that got lost, or did it. Did I lose my professional identity because I wasn’t being paid to work in the field of education? I didn’t lose the knowledge I had gained throughout my career and I still know how to apply it when I have a need to. Can professional identity be built on, strengthened in retirement? I joined University of the Third Age, meeting passionate interesting people and I could say, “I have a new professional identity or a strengthened one at least.” 

Back to this blog. As I write on my computer I am distracted by the ads flickering on my iPad, not interested enough to engage with them, they flicker alone. 

Point 3. Social Interaction – I have known my whole life how important social interaction is, with lots of friends and family connections: some I have lost, others misplaced, new ones gained and important ones kept. My husband Stan, family and friends fill my life. Just because I retired I didn’t lose them.  

Point 4. Financial Stability – yes, I was pissed off to lose what was an impressive salary but there are ways around. Isn’t this why I have super? 

Point 5. Sense of Purpose – I didn’t lose this when I retired. My life is full of purpose: a once upon a time travel blogger, keeping myself alive and as healthy as I could when I was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder that actually takes lives, writing a memoir, University of the Third Age and my passion project Stories Connecting Us. Enough purpose for one person since retirement. 

And now that I am bored with this blog and what it says I have lost, I will list the next fifteen for you to ponder: have you lost these, misplaced them or changed the how of them?

Point 6. Intellectual Stimulation – this blog did stimulate my thoughts. Although, I wonder if this is what the author intended?

Point 7. Regular Physical Activity – I’m doing more and enjoying it more. How does that fit with losing it?

Point 8. Professional Networking – I wonder what her definition of professional is. Are we all not professional as we participate in our lives?

Point 9. Recognition and Appreciation – I am getting as much if not more than I did at work.

Point 10. Access to Benefits – think I covered this above. 

Point 11. Clear Goals – I do this better than I ever have, another one I didn’t lose but gained. 

Point 12. Daily Challenges – can anyone live their lives without these? 

Point 13. Personal Achievement – isn’t this up to me at any time in my life? 

Point 14. Routine Commute – isn’t this a relief? 

Point 15. Team Dynamics – is this a limited definition of team? 

Yay my iPad has gone to sleep mode. No more annoying ads flickering as I write and edit. I didn’t read the detail of each point, more a guess by the title. Although to be honest the short paragraph below the ones I did read didn’t give that much. And is fifteen too many? I could probably bring it to five points, but I won’t. I saved this blog in my Pinterest folder Living in my Third Age. I now know I will lose this blog in this social media platform called Pinterest. 

Copyright Cathy Beesey, February 2025. All rights reserved; this intellectual property belongs solely to Cathy Beesey.