February 1st – Updates

by annemariedemyen, posted in Updates - February 2022

Here we are starting a new month – YAY February!  Soon the days will be noticeably longer, hopefully warmer, and much calmer than the last day of January – which brought us a rather noteworthy blizzard. 

Time to shovel our front steps! 😳

A new month means a new theme for my blog here on WordPress. I generally prefer looking more forward rather than back, but this month I have decided to indeed look back. Recently, I have had a few visitors post likes or comments on some of my earlier posts. I click back to my original post to check it out, only to discover that I have more to add, changes to make, or just something that is worth repeating. So… that is my theme for February 2022. A review of previous blogs.

One might as well start at the beginning, so today a quick look at my very first blog. This blog was written mid 2019 when I was still gainfully employed in the Saskatchewan construction industry.

https://seclusion101withannemarie.com/2019/08/18/my-very-first-blog/

  • Update of “My Very First Blog”
  • Contrary to my earlier thoughts on retirement, I have not consumed any impressive amount of tea, read many books, or done a significant amount of needlework.
  • I have spent a lot of quality time with my husband and I am happily anticipating the day when Dan will join me in retirement. 💞
  • I do not miss working – AT ALL. I loved my job, I did it well and I am proud of all that I accomplished. I cared for most of the people I worked with and for. I do not regret or resent a minute of it… But, I do not miss it!
  • The most significant thing about my life now, compared to then, is that now for the first time in my life as an adult, I put myself first. There were forty some years when, I put myself last (if at all). It was how I lived my life and I would do it again. I do not regret the years that I spent being a wife and home maker, raising a family, catering to grandchildren. I do not regret being there for my aging, ailing parents. I do not regret the dedication I put into my career. But, it left nothing for me. Now I have time to put myself first. I have time to focus on my health and my all around well-being. I would never have guessed that would be the best thing about retirement. (It never occurred to me that it even was a thing 🙄)
Life before retirement. 💻

If you care to comment, I would love to hear your thoughts on retirement. 🤗😧🥳

That is all for today. Take care and have a great day! 💞

Advertisement

31 thoughts on “February 1st – Updates”

  1. I love being retired after being a caregiver most of my life it feels wonderful. Lately I have been thinking about putting out a post on this same subject, just haven’t gotten around to it yet.

    Liked by 2 people

  7. Thank you, John. I picked out my own desk when my boss’s Dad retired and I took over commercial sales. I thought the desk was a bit much but I liked the wrap around even if I didn’t think I would get much use out of it. Turned out, everybody liked the wrap around! The installers used it, Brian (my boss) used it, Kori used it – I was the only one who never used it. 😂

    Liked by 1 person

  9. I’m looking forward to retirement someday! Thanks for linking your first post which I just read, very nice. You are inspiring and it’s so fun to be part of your blogging journey! Have a great week!! 💞

    Liked by 2 people

  16. I retired at age 55 just eight months after I became eligible. It was a little scary taking a pay cut and losing a decade of potential high earning years. I thought it would be worth it but had no idea how much until I woke up the next morning with an incredibly huge weight off my shoulders, an absence of 200 complaint emails in my inbox, and no phone calls I had to take 24×7. Second greatest decision I ever made (behind getting married). I always recommend it highly, although I recognize being lucky to have a generous retirement package.

    Liked by 2 people

  17. Way to go! I didn’t get a generous retirement package but fortunately my husband still works and plans to do so until he qualifies for his full pension. My income dropped drastically but we honestly haven’t felt it. It has been more than worth it for both of us. I am glad you are enjoying your retirement as well, Geoff!

    Liked by 1 person

  18. I want to retire but don’t stay retired. I need a reason and a purpose, no matter what, even if it’s volunteer work. My husband spent almost two years at home, recovering from a work-related injury and open heart surgery. I watched him getting old(er) right in front of my eyes. He dressed differently, his spark was gone. I watch our neighbors retire and many of them are bored, don’t have anything to do. The women cook, clean and shop, the men piddle in the yard a bit and don’t feel useful anymore. My husband went back to work on light duty, and voila, he changed back to the man I know and love for so many years.
    We love each other, but also need time away from each other, doing our own things. I suppose we could enjoy retirement for a year or two, but then we would either turn old or restless.
    As long as we still healthy we need something else to do beside sitting at home.

    Liked by 1 person

  24. Anne Marie, I loved your original post and I love this one! i always heard you would know when you were ready to retire, and when it was time, I knew. I have never regretted it either, and I fill my time with (1) the same things I did before while working a full-time job because those things do not stop when you retire, and (2) anything I want to, whatever it is. I also loved my work and it was a wild and exciting career which I cherish, and I also love my retirement. While I shiver at your new snow, I love the beautiful picture of Kat, the Snow Dog.

    Liked by 1 person

  25. Thank you! I am glad that you enjoy your retirement. Many of us worked so hard, being homemakers and caregivers, and in our careers that we deserve this time in our lives. 💞 (Now I am very curious as to what exactly your wild and exciting career was. Exactly how wild? Like pole dancing? 🙄)

    Liked by 1 person

  28. It’s hard to believe that it’s already February. How fun to dig through the archives and review some of your previous posts. Glad to hear that you are enjoying retirement and are finally putting yourself and your well-being first!

    Liked by 1 person

  29. Thank you, Derrick! I am definitely learning more about myself since I retired. I think it is wonderful what you and Jackie concentrate on these days. You seem to be having a lovely retirement, one you both deserve no doubt. 💞

    Liked by 1 person

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s