I’m Susan, moderator of Retired: Redesigning Life, and practitioner of a fulfilling retirement. In the five years since leaving a teaching career, I have found that I am most content when I am involved in productive activities and, most important, when I am part of a community exploring options for this time of life.
I remember well the excitement, laced with anxiety, of approaching retirement age. I had a mental list of all the new adventures I would try, the new skills I would learn, the new person I would be. But I found that changing myself was difficult. I needed help!
Searching the Internet revealed many websites devoted to the financial realities of retirement, but few devoted to the element that can be either blessing or curse: an abundance of time. This blog’s purpose is to bring encouragement and ideas about how to use that time productively and joyfully.
On a personal note: I taught English in public school for 28 years, was a curriculum specialist for one year, and a district administrator for three. My passion for literature was the basis of my career choice; my desire to write one of the elements that has led me to blog. I would like, of course, to write a novel, but have not begun, other than to choose a pen name. Susan Johns is not my given name, but it is the name of a person looking to redesign herself
During retirement, I have spent a large portion of time with my six grandchildren (not all at once!), continued teaching in a church setting, have begun watercolor painting, and have become an even more voracious reader (although I confess, I have put down the classics and am deeply involved in spy adventures and mysteries). I’ve done some volunteering, spent time with old and new friends, and begun a regular exercise program.
I will share with you some of the things I have learned from these activities and some of the new ideas I have. But I am really interested in the wealth of ideas of other retirees – what are you doing that is making this phase of life exciting and fulfilling? Those are the topics I would most like to explore.