Ya Gotta Laugh

So although I’m going to Maui next week for two days of training and returning my office equipment, I am officially no longer working my job. Today I plan to unplug all the equipment and pack it in my suitcase. I’m going to put my scrapbooking supplies out on my desk, and erase all traces of my job from my home.

I’ve been telling people that I am retiring, and the differences between what men and women are saying to me are so amazing.

Women are telling me to enjoy myself, I’ve had some nice conversations with retired women who talk about enjoying the quiet, taking the time to savor your days. I had a wonderful conversation yesterday with the woman who talked about taking cooking classes when she first retired.

Men talk about staying busy. I have yet to have a Man 👺 say anything to me about enjoying things or savoring the moment. And I realize that it’s because when men are home, they aren’t busy but women always are.

I was a single mother working a full-time job and having to keep our home clean and dinner on the table.  Even if I’d been married it would’ve been exactly the same. I have had years and years of not having time for me.

Even when Mollie went to college, I worked two jobs to help keep everything going.

I still have to cook and clean. But I no longer have to put anybody else first. I feel like this is my first ever taste of freedom. I’m excited to go forward without having any men in my life telling me who to be or what to do.

I’m still in bed and I have two out of three cats in the bed with me . I told my boss yesterday that I would not be working on Monday since I was planning on packing my equipment up over the weekend. I woke up feeling disconcerted. But now I’m watching the kitten try to catch a fly and Wednesday is cuddled right next to me , and I think this is going to be wonderful.