Settling into Retirement

A few thoughts after 10 weeks of no longer working full-time
Reflections
Retirement
Author

Sharon Machlis

Published

October 13, 2024

Image of the back of a woman in silhouette looking at the ocean.

Image generated by Photoshop AI

I had 44 years of full-time work – a long, long time with a professional persona and rigid schedule – before these first 10 weeks of retirement. As I expected, I’m still adjusting and haven’t yet figured my long-term plan. But, so far I remain pleasantly surprised. The change hasn’t been as jarring as I’d expected.

I’ve already mentioned that retiring in the summer was a good idea for me. It was easy and natural spending new free time enjoying the season’s slower pace and gorgeous weather. Days are getting shorter and temperatures are cooling off now, but so far it’s been mostly lovely early autumn New England weather around here. I’ll see how things go in a month or two when it’s dark, icy and cold! But so far, temperatures have still allowed me to enjoy things like walks with friends, outdoor visits with friends, bike rides, and trips to apple orchards.

Some more thoughts on the first couple of months of retirement:


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